When Aiden's grandmother dies and the bank forecloses on her house, he's forced to leave and eke out a new life for himself on his own. Though shy and naïve, Aiden is willing to do anything to escape from the tedium of rural Nebraska, even if it means overcoming his shyness hitchhiking the whole way. With nothing but a backpack full of clothes and a few hundred dollars to his name, he begins to make his way towards California and a new life. His whole plan changes when he's picked up from a lonely highway by a member of the erotic, adults-only Night Circus. It seems they are in desperate need of a small acrobat for one of their acts and Aiden, with his gymnastics experience and flexibility, just happens to fit the bill. Though he has concerns about joining a circus where the idea is to entice and arouse the audience, the chance to make a living doing what he loves is too great. It's easy enough for them to convince him to give it a try but convincing Lawrence, the stern owner of the peculiar circus and his new dance partner, is another story. And there's something about Lawrence's dark features and handsome face that makes Aiden's chest feel tight and his breath catch. Not that an innocent, "straight" country boy would know anything about that.