John Douglas was once a wire-walker in the circus until his injury, after which his leg will simply not afford him the balance he needs. Unable to let go of the circus life, he devises a side-act in which he is pitted against a shark in front of the crowd. Despite his outward calm, he desperately misses his former life and the applause. A few hours before the afternoon show, Bella the Rhesus monkey gives birth to a stillborn baby that the handlers must take from her. The sound of almost-human weeping comes from the cage, but no one does anything to soothe her. The show begins, and John smoothly performs his show. Once he is submerged in the tank, he experiences a moment of fear at having left the rest of the outside world behind, but he quickly overcomes it and makes it to the other end of the tent. Two children come and talk about how they could have done it, too - the dimensions of the tank prevent the shark from directly attacking whoever is within it. John feels their criticism strike him sharply and he sends them away, retreating into the inner tents to observe the new wire-walker. His heart aches for the thrill of that performance, and he cannot bring himself to watch it to the end. He goes to his locker and gets a banana for Bella the monkey, thinking about his own loss as she cradles the banana to her chest like a baby rather than eat it. Overcome with pity, he peels the banana for her and strokes her fur as she finally eats.