Born as a human magnet, Lucien has a simple but harsh life. He secretly dreams of a life as an artist but his father doesn’t allow him to show off his magic talent. On the run and away from home, he meets a small traveling circus. There he grows up to be an artist and a man as he falls deeply in love with Gervaise, the daughter of the circus director. But when the old life calls him back, he returns home disappointed to notice that nothing is as before. He loses his talent and his taste for life. He no longer fits this world, as the world no longer fits him.