A Freak's Journey

In 1890's London, six-year old Jimmy Stockley's mum throws him out of their apartment while she services clients. Jimmy runs away and joins a caravan circus. Taken in by a new mum, Jimmy grows into James as he meets the circus owner's challenge to become a "good freak" by learning a skill that will attract customers to the circus. Success in the Big Top is contrasted with James' frustration over his inability to learn to read despite his new mum's best schooling efforts.
As he grows into his mid teens James falls in love with Caitlin, the lion tamer's daughter. Her father objects and threatens to feed him to the big cats for dinner. James runs from his adopted mum and his love and joins the British Army, fighting for Britain in three theaters of war including the Boar War in South Africa. When not at war, James, once a boxer in the circus side show, represents his regiment in boxing competitions. Caitlin objects in letters but boxing allows James to avoid weekly testing that he would certainly fail. Caitlin finds out James is still engaged in the brutal sport and permanently breaks off the relationship.
Disheartened, James flees to America and a job as a field boss on a Florida tomato ranch. He is a tough boss when controlling the migrant workers but the death of a field hand in a fight brings James under suspicion and he is forced to run again. As the war in Europe heats up, James hears that Winston Churchill, James' POW cell mate in the Boar War, is going to be meeting with President Roosevelt. James goes to Washington DC to ask Churchill to hide him from the Florida authorities. James is given a job on an Army Corp of Engineer's dam project outside York, Pennsylvania. When a long lost letter from Caitlin finally catches up with him, James falls in love all over again and returns to England to attempt a reunion with Caitlin.