A Czech circus owner and clown and his entire troupe employ a daring stratagem in order to escape en masse from behind the Iron Curtain.

In 1950s Czechoslovakia circus manager Karel Cernik is planning an escape from Communism to freedom. His idea is to force his way across the guarded border using his entire circus. Three years in the making, his idea is ready to be tested when he's suddenly summoned to a routine questioning about his circus' program by the secret police. To Cernik it's clear that he has an informer among his staff who reports his activities and private conversations to the secret police. The Americans are just across the river in a nearby border village, but Cernik needs a special permit from the secret police to allow his circus freedom of movement in the border areas to perform its shows. This permit is difficult to obtain and vital to his escape plan. To make matters worse, his wife is being unfaithful, his daughter has fallen in love with the new stable boy, his circus is falling apart, and his longtime rival, Barovik, wants to take over Cernik's circus.—nufs68