Welcome to Walden, New York, where the 150 performers and crew members of the legendary Big Apple Circus gather from around the world to put together the new show for their annual 350-performance tour. As sets are built, costumes designed and fitted, acts rehearsed and refined, meet the members of the Big Apple family: the veteran clown who plays the circus' most enduring and beloved character, and the slightly neurotic novice whose clowning covers a painful past; the newly assembled trapeze troupe that can't seem to catch a trick; the zany, tightly wound guest director who lives for the circus; and the kids of the rough-and-tumble ring crew, all of whom seem to be looking for a fresh start. But as a bomb threat proves, running away to the circus doesn't always guarantee your troubles won't find you.