The bond and conflicts between a father and son, both tightrope walkers stranded in a country amidst ongoing war. The young acrobat falls in love with a mermaid performing at a local fair, nearly causing a rift between him and his father.

Sawdust Tales is a whimsical and timeless parable on survival in hard times and the force of a first love against all odds. In a timeless no-mans land scarred by social decay and imminent war, a circus troupe awaits the arrival of the mysterious Rupert who is to deliver them from danger into a better world.