Arnold, peddler and professional clown, move in with the women. After a few years Arnold and Vera have Barnum, their son. Due to the controversial nature of the boy's name, the priest in Oslo refuses to baptize him. Thus, the newly formed family head back to the more liberal Røst, whom Arnold left as a young boy, to get Barnum baptized. Adult Barnum continues the search for his long lost half-brother Fred, and his endeavors propels him to a journalist who wrote about Fred when he was a young, promising boxer many years ago.