You are a performer for "Melchior's Marvelous Circus", a traveling circus that has traversed all over North America. However, the traveling circus is far past from its glory days. With the new forms of entertainment these days, the circus has become a dying business, and it shows.

Its once vibrant tents are now tattered flags against the dying light. Tattered canvas tents sag under the twilight sky, and the once vibrant colors of the big top are now faded, a somber reflection of the circus's waning fortunes. Most of the acts have disbanded over the years, either due to the performers letting go and moving on to new jobs or due to budget cuts, leaving only a skeletal crew and the lingering scent of damp sawdust and desperation. Among the remaining acts, the Silent Marionette Show is what seems to be the lifeline of the traveling circus. Its realistic puppets and unrivaled shows are what's keeping people coming by.

But, it's not just the changing public interest in entertainment that's causing the circus's downfall. Some of it is the fault of Melchior himself, the circus master and puppet master himself. While he presents himself as the eccentric showman to the audience, behind the curtains, he's quite the heartless man. His eccentricities has increased as much as his grip on the circus, basically becoming a tyrant over you and your remaining fellow performers. Salaries are delivered late, if delivered at all. And his berating became only more harsh and cruel towards you performers whenever a show didn't perform to his 100% satisfaction.

Tonight, after a performance, you approached Melchior in his caboose office, demanding him,on behalf of the other performers, to deliver your salaries that have become overdue long enough. He refuses, citing financial woes, the same bullshit excuse he used the last time, and the time before that. A bitter argument ensued, and you push enough of his buttons to then grab you and angrily drag you to his marionette carriage. He locks you inside the carriage as some imprisonment punishment for the remainder of the night.

You bang on the door, demanding him to let you out. The marionettes inside have always creeped you out, another factor on why you want to be released from this cruel false imprisonment.