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.

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 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.

Half-human, half-swan, a young boy ridiculed by his community tries to find a way to become whole again.

A son tells a series of stories, most of them about his father and stepfather. As the son describes a robbery that took place at his house in high school and his experiences with his father, a former Jehovah's Witness and current alcoholic, he begins to recall details from his childhood.

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.

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 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 motley crew of hobos jump between trains and travel through various towns in search of jobs and learn the importance of companionship amidst hardships.

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.