Matilde, Cencio, Fulvio and Mario are family when the 2nd world war hits Rome. It's 1943, in the turmoil of the conflict and the eternal city is home to the circus in which they work. Israel, the owner and putative father, disappears in the attempt to find a getaway overseas for them all. Our four friends are in disarray. Without anyone looking after them but above all, without the circus, they lose their social placement and they feel only as sideshow attractions on the loose in a city at war.