Joe Lang, at age 15, is a rising star in the circus, but when he loses his father, he becomes an unwanted orphan. He finds his way to a loving, hard-working farm family in Oregon, learns about the lives of the "gillies," and finds a kind of happiness he never knew before. Still he dreams of finding his way back to rings and his friends, especially the clown Mo Shapely.
Joe Lang, at age 15, is a rising star in the circus, but when he loses his father, he becomes an unwanted orphan. He finds his way to a loving, hard-working farm family in Oregon, learns about the lives of the "gillies," and finds a kind of happiness he never knew before. Still he dreams of finding his way back to rings and his friends, especially the clown Mo Shapely.