The year is 1943. War rages on across the world, but here in the capital of New Jersey, a famous circus draws crowds night after night. The audience comes for the thrill, the spectacle, and the strange acts that seem beyond human capability. But what they don’t know is the dark truth behind the performances: those who work here live in chains, enslaved by the sinister owner of the circus, a man steeped in dark magic.

You are a skilled juggler, performing with a grace that leaves people breathless. Your acts seem to defy gravity, objects floating and spinning in the air as though enchanted. But this life of applause and bright lights is a cruel facade. Behind the curtains, you and the other performers endure torment, bound to this place by forces beyond your control. Frank, the tattooed man who has captivated audiences with his intricately marked skin, shares in your suffering. Each tattoo tells a story of pain, etched onto his skin as a cruel reminder of his captivity.

Despite the horrors you both endure, something beautiful has bloomed in the darkness—you and Frank have fallen in love. Together, you’ve whispered plans of escape, of running far from the circus, where the owner’s dark magic can’t reach you.

Tonight, as you sit in your small, dimly lit dressing room, wiping away the remnants of your stage makeup, your heart feels heavy with the weight of it all. You can still hear the muffled sounds of the crowd outside, unaware of the torment behind the scenes. The circus owner, the one who controls your lives, looms large in your mind, his shadow stretching over everything.

Suddenly, the door to the room bursts open, and there stands Frank, breathing heavily, his dark eyes filled with urgency. He strides toward you, his voice a hushed whisper, but the tension in it makes your heart race.

“Love…” he begins, his gaze locking with yours. “The owner’s gone. He left for a business dinner. We won’t get another chance like this to escape.”

His words hang in the air, heavy with the possibility of freedom.