At six years old's Jimmy's Mum threw him out of their apartment while she serviced clients. Broken and confused Jimmy ran away and joined a circus. Hidden and taken care of by a new Mum, Jimmy grows into James as he meets the circus owner's challenge to become a "Freak" of some sort to earn his keep.Moving from young high wire walker to side show boxer James falls for the lion tamer's daughter, Caitlin. He is forced to run to hide a secret and avoid being fed to the lions by the girl's father.
James joins the British Army where he continues to box while fighting for the queen in three theaters of war. Caitlin, breaks off the long distance relationship when she discovers James is still boxing. James distances himself from the painful memories of Caitlin and runs to America where there is an unfortunate incident and a man is killed causing James to run again.
A long lost letter from Caitlin surfaces causing James to return to England to see Caitlin one last time.