Odessa at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. Loader and amateur wrestler Ivan Poddubny comes to the circus and meets the clown trainer Anatoly Durov. Artists have to go through trials and humiliations. The circus manager mercilessly exploits artists who are bound by a slave contract. The talent and hard work of Poddubny and Durov allows them to go beyond the provincial circus and make an international career.
As a result, Poddubny, defeating the Frenchman Raoul le Boucher in the final, becomes the winner of the world wrestling championship, which was held in Paris.[5]
