The musical offers a guided tour of the highlights of Barnum's career from 1835 to 1880, when the showman joins James A. Bailey in creating "The Greatest Show on Earth". Along the way we are treated to such legendary sucker-bait attractions as Joice Heath, George Washington's alleged 160-year-old nurse; the midget Tom Thumb; Jumbo the elephant; the Swedish Nightingale Jenny Lind; and, finally - the three-ring circus. What conflict there is is supplied by the unfulfilled desire of Barnum's wife, Chairy, to settle down to a more substantial life.