Main Characters
MINA
the reluctant heir
Eldest daughter. Smart, self-aware, longing for freedom beyond the circus. Torn between loyalty to family and a desire to live life on her own terms.
NEESA
the scene stealer
Younger sister. Charismatic, ambitious, and deeply tied to the magic of performance. Why doesn’t everyone see that SHE can take over the show?
LONG TACK SAM
the unsinkable showman
Father, acrobat, magician, founder of the troupe. Trying to preserve a legacy in a world that’s moving on. Even the greatest illusionist can’t stop time.
POLDI
the matriarch under pressure
Former Austrian shopgirl turned Chinese Circus manager. Fierce, pragmatic, but quietly unraveling under the strain of keeping the troupe — and her family — afloat.
BOBBIE & ROCKY
a boy and his dog
Childhood doesn’t care about politics – family, backstage or global.
Liang Na - the calculating ingénue
Literally sold into the circus, she’s no stranger to powerlessness — but she’s learning to play her own game.
PO CHU - the performer becoming themself
Onstage, they dazzle in costume. Offstage, they dream of never having to take it off.
PANG - the veteran
Keeper of the troupe’s rhythms and memories. He’s the ballast in a world tipping too fast.
CHARLIE - the silent clown
Sam’s dear friend and constant liability, a rounder in Prohibition time.
ELSA - the medium who knows the score
She believes in spirits, second chances, and staying one step ahead.
RICHARD - the remittance man
Is he Mina’s way out of the show?