On Arnold's burial, the arrival of the circus director Mundus causes quite a stir amongst the family. He reveals bits of their late father's past, and the bereaved are in for a surprise or two. Under the memorial they also learn that the disappearance of a valued family treasure, a letter from the Elder's former boyfriend written in Greenland before he disappeared in the glacier, was Arnold's doing. Fred wants it back. Adult Barnum realizes that if he is to find Fred, he must find the letter.