This is the strange tale of Horty, a little boy who ran away from home and took refuge in the bizarre world of the carnival. With him went his favourite toy - an old jack-in-the-box whose jewelled eyes sparkled and shone, hypnotic in their brilliance.

And among the freaks and oddities of the sideshows he found friends - ''jewel'' people like him, who tried to protect him from the terrible secret of his existence .