Hank Whirling (Victor Mature) is the owner of a big top circus that is struggling to make ends meet. After accepting a hefty bank loan, Hank must take advice from a curmudgeonly loan officer (Red Buttons) and a well-intentioned but rash publicist (Rhonda Fleming), while also caring for his impetuous younger sister (Kathryn Grant). But these obstacles are nothing compared to those created by an elusive saboteur who has been letting animals loose, setting fires and getting people killed.