An old woman, short and stout, enters a room containing a small
puppet theater. Between the tasks of setting up a
phonograph and a
film projector, she carries in a large object, on top of which stands a
statue of a
dog. The dog comes to life. Inside the puppet theater, a mechanical platform rises up, revealing a miniature
pianist. After a brief musical performance, the theater rotates, displaying an
ocean scenescape - amidst other themed props, a
fish's head is depicted bobbing up and down in the water. The theater then rotates again, settling on a hilltop home. Inside the dwelling, sits a
porcelain doll in the form of a young girl. A blue,
spectral drawing sits with her, until she is roused by a
bell. As the girl leaves the room, the wispy drawing looks after her, and then vanishes. A
cloaked, pale-faced, old woman watches the young girl climb through the meandering, mechanical passageways of the puppet theater. The old woman signals for a
loaf of bread and then passes it on to the young girl. A lonely red
balloon floats down a hallway. It stops to hover by a grotesque couple, gorging themselves on an opulent
feast. The couple gaze at each other through richly designed fish
masks. The balloon then passes on, reaching a
tavern. The pianist is there, and three old men sit enraptured by a woman on stage. The young girl, who has made her way to the room as well, watches as one of the men casually swallows a pair of
levitating playing cards. Following the red balloon, the girl appears to return home. She is encountered however, by a rotating contraption, depicting a series of intricate masks. Her house is revealed to also be such a contraption. The young girl then appears standing alone in the puppet theater. The old woman, who set up the show, is watching. She directs a
mechanical fan toward the girl, and the girl, covering her eyes in apparent fear, is blown away. The woman waves goodbye to an unseen audience. ==Production==