Janet sets out to find her circus ringleader father, who her mother abandoned believing him to be unfaithful. Along the way, Janet and her friend Peter join Colonel Simmonds's circus, she as a trick horse rider and he as a clown, but Janet cannot help but wonder why she finds Simmonds so familiar.

Janet Magie was passionately fond of circuses. There was something in her blood that answered to the call, and this always filled her mother with a strange tear. Peter, her only playmate, was also much interested in the sawdust ring, and managed to secure two passes for one. They were doomed to disappointment, however, as Mrs. Magie was taken seriously ill and sent to the hospital, leaving nothing for Janet except prospects for the poorhouse. The little girl determined to escape this fate. With Peter she ran away to join the circus in a nearby town. The proprietor of the outfit takes a peculiar interest in the young runaway, and through this interest a surprising climax of happiness is achieved.