Plot summary

In 1914 London, the formerly successful and presently decadent and alcoholic clown Calvero smells gas in the building where he lives and breaks into an apartment. He finds the suicidal Thereza 'Terry' Ambrose laying on her bed unconscious, and brings a doctor who saves her. They do not report the incident to the police, and Calvero nurses her back to health in his apartment two floors up, fending off questions from their landlady. He learns that Terry was a ballet dancer who had a problem in her legs that are paralyzed. However, the doctor tells Calvero that she has not a physical, but actually a psychological problem with her legs. He emotionally supports her, and she recovers her health and becomes a successful ballerina. Meanwhile, Calvero is also affected by Terry and quits drinking. Calvero tries to rebuild his career in show business while Terry falls in love with him, but age must pass as youth enters.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil