Eddie, an American, is a drifter currently in Italy working his way as a singer. That drifting is in he running away from himself, he not much liking that person which in turn makes others eventually not like him, one reason he gets fired from job after job. It is when he is fired from his latest job that he is discovered by Gina, who wants him to be the straight man, the singer, in her ventriloquist act in a traveling circus. She eventually does let him know that he is just the latest of her assistants, who she expects to be by her side both on stage and in her bedroom. The circus is owned and operated by Rico and Elleanora Marino, who along with her younger sister Tessa also have a combination trick riding/acrobat act. As Elleanora now requires arm braces to walk, the permanent disability the result of an on stage accident, Tessa, who is just reaching her womanhood, has taken over most of the physically demanding and risky female tricks in the act. An easy rapport and eventual friendship forms between Eddie and Tessa, which does not sit well with either Gina who does not take kindly to what she believes is Eddie's romantic interest in Tessa, and Rico, who sees in Tessa more than just a surrogate little sister and who sees Eddie solely as Gina's latest trash. In addition, Eddie learns that "Bozo", one of the circus clowns, is Gina's ex-husband who he believes still has an interest in Gina in every respect. In both Eddie and Tessa individually trying to escape this complicated situation, Eddie may discover that person in himself he truly does like, with both also unwittingly ending up in a potentially life threatening situation from running away.