Held hostage on the lonely Kansas prairie by an abusive older brother and a devoutly religious mother, the talented Jimmy (Jak Kendall) feels trapped. But when a traveling sideshow comes to town, the candy-colored lights seem like a beacon of salvation. Will befriending the carnival's premier attraction -- a girl billed as an "oddity of nature" (Karen Black) -- lead to a better future and the life for which he's always yearned?