He receives a bank loan but only on the condition he take along accountant Randy Sherman and publicist Helen Harrison to help the circus turn a profit.

They soon discover that the cage had been deliberately opened by an animal trainer named Slade, who is found, captured and eventually jailed.

When the first section of the circus train derails, Maria Colino is killed, leaving her husband heartbroken and unable to perform.

He will scrap the existing route, perform one show in Buffalo, and then slip into New York City three weeks before the Bormans' circus, stealing the audience from his rival.

As Zach has lost his confidence after his wife's death, Hank goads him into performing the stunt by calling him a coward.

With the bank about to foreclose on his circus, Hank approaches television star Steve Allen to seek publicity.

Allen purchases the rights to broadcast the opening-night performance in New York for enough money to pay the show's line of credit and enable it to survive.

Jeannie's debut with the Colino act nearly ends in disaster when Tommy deliberately misses catching her, but she manages to grasp a rope.