Sixteen-year-old Smidge is on the run, after her tumultuous upbringing culminated in a shameful secret. Together with fellow runaway Violet, Smidge devises a performance act that will allow them both to rise above the past. As they attempt to sell their new performance, they travel through the underbelly of America, eventually finding home in a travelling circus.

Under the influence of the sinister ringleader, Violet is drawn deeper into their new lifestyle, while Smidge realizes she can never fully break her connection to home. Forced to change her compass, Smidge must confront the shame and fear that have shaped her, and recast her relationship with her flawed mother, before it is too late.