Rose Mailand, the celebrated equestrienne of the famous Barnon Circus, awakens the love of Count Hans von Harten, and they are ideally happy until the Count's father angrily forbids the marriage, which compels the Count to adopt the circus for a livelihood. His spectacular thriller, "The Platform of Death," wins him the title of the "Greatest Horseman in the World," and because of the public admiration his wife becomes jealous and plans revenge. She drugs his horse, and as he mounts the Platform of Death the horse becomes frightened at the first explosion of fireworks and plunges forward, bringing with him the Count to death in the ring below.