After escaping the butcher's knife with the help of his steadfast companion Sam, Toby soon finds himself under the order of the volatile impresario Silas Bisset and his travelling menagerie of performing monkeys, horses, turkeys and canaries. Before too long, he is packing out theatres and concert halls, impressing the crowds with his ability to count, spell and even read the minds of ladies. But celebrity comes at a cost, as Toby soon finds out . . .