A circus clown in unrequited love with the girl on the flying trapeze attempts to explain how he ended up onstage, pantless and pelted with trash, while lions ate the flying trapeze girl's lover.

A man takes his niece to the circus, hoping her sense of wonder will help him feel young again; however, a tragic accident leaves him haunted by the experience.

A boy in Pennsylvania watches his dad slowly come to the realization that his pre-fatherhood dream of being in the circus will never happen.

A circus wire-walker suffers an injury that relegates him to an unimportant side-show, but he finds solace in the company of a Rhesus monkey who has lost her child.

After the new boy at the circus falls to his death while attempting a trick, his higher-ups wrestle with guilt at the accident and try to escape taking responsibility.

A show arrives in a small town, promising the performance of a lifetime, in which a small, mute woman will dive into a shallow pool surrounded by flames from a diving board that reaches the sky.

A middle-aged woman leads a traveling circus act through the Midwest featuring 26 monkeys who climb into a bathtub and disappear and then reappear on her bus after the show. The impending death of one of the key monkeys causes her to wrestle with the meaning of life.

A man resents his younger brother for having an easier life and more love from their friends and family, even as he desperately tries to win that adoration for himself.

A county fair performer two-timed by his acrobat lover decides he'll get his revenge in a final, deadly act.

In the northern United States, a nineteen-year-old soldier receives advice after reuniting with his seemingly apathetic magician father in a cold 20th century winter. As they each learn more about their relationship, father and son argue about their priorities in life and whether or not these obligations are worth more than family.