Matilde, Cencio, Fulvio and Mario form a family in the circus where they work as ‘freaks’ in 1943 Nazi-occupied Rome. Israel, the owner and putative father, disappears in an attempt to find an escape route overseas for them all. With his departure, the four friends are set adrift. Without anyone looking after them and above all, without the circus, they lose their place in the city and feel like sideshow attractions in a city at war.