This is the story of Tonino, a lonely little boy without daddy, who lives, in a small suburban circus. His mother, closed in her world of memories, is now attached to Raimondo, a hard and heartless lion tamer. It is an old crossbreed dog, Wodks, who offers the boy all the affection. Tonino returns it, confiding his big secret: to one day, becomes a great trapeze artist like his father killed in a terrible accident. But his mother is against such a thing. She wants a better life for her son. One day, Raimondo tired of Wolks sells her. He then tells the boy that Simball, one of the lions, has eaten her. Tonino is desolate, and becomes closed avoiding everything and everybody. His mother decides, influenced by Raimondo, to send the boy away to college. It's Christmas and Tonino is all alone. He de-cides to run away, crossing the country-yard under the rain. He finally arrives at the circus where his mother runs to take him in her arms. Now his mother has chosen. She leaves Raimondo to live alone with Tonino. Everything now looks peaceful, but the arrival of Andrea at the circus turns everything "upside-down" once again. Tonino is jealous for the affection that the man takes from his mother. But as the time goes by they become friends and Andrea secretly starts to teach Tonino all the secrets of the trapeze. One day Tonino hears the voice of his father calling him from the trapeze above. Slowly he begins to climb to the top. Andrea manages to grab the boy but his wrists soon give out and he fails into the emptiness below. Tonino runs to his side and calls him "Daddy" but this is the last word that Andrea hears.