Stanton Carlisle watches the
geek show at a
Ten-in-One where he has recently begun working. He later asks the carnival's
talker Clem Hoately where geeks come from. Clem explains that geeks are "made": a sideshow owner finds an alcoholic
bum and offers him a temporary job with a steady supply of liquor. Initially, the bum is only asked to pretend to be a geek, using a razor blade to slice chickens' necks and then faking the drinking of the blood. After a few weeks, the owner threatens to end the job and replace the bum with a "real" geek, and the fear of sobering up terrifies the bum into actually biting the chickens. Thus, a geek is made. Stan performs
sleight of hand tricks in the
sideshow but studies under the carnival's
mentalist Zeena to learn a refined "code" act, where performers
memorize verbal cues that allow them to appear
psychic by accurately answering written audience questions. Stan also begins to pick up Zeena's talent for
cold reading. He eventually leaves the carnival with the beautiful and naïve electric girl Molly Cahill to perform a team code act. Their act becomes very successful, but Stan grows bored and transforms himself into Reverend Carlisle, an upstanding
spiritualist preacher offering
séance sessions with the help of his
medium. Stan gains a devoted following, but the stress of leading a false life leads him to seek the help of a
psychologist named Lilith Ritter, who seduces and then begins controlling him. Stan pleads constantly for them to go away together, and Lilith eventually agrees, suggesting the Rev. Carlisle swindle a rich man for the getaway money. They settle on Ezra Grindle, a ruthless
auto tycoon with a
skeptical interest in the
occult. Stan manages to convince Grindle of his powers, and the businessman becomes a devoted spiritualist. Stan keeps Grindle hooked by promising to reunite him with his deceased college sweetheart Dorrie, who died in a botched
back-alley abortion Grindle convinced her to seek. A reluctant Molly plays "Dorrie" in a series of sessions but eventually breaks character, destroying the illusion. In a rage Stan punches Molly and Grindle and flees the scene. At Lilith's suggestion he decides to go into hiding with Grindle's money but later discovers that Lilith has stolen a majority of it by replacing the five-hundred-dollar bills with singles. When he confronts her, she tells him that he is deluded and attempts to have him committed to a mental institution, and he narrowly escapes. He flees and resorts to performing as a mentalist at increasingly shoddy venues, trying to evade the men he falsely believes Grindle is sending after him. During this time, Molly takes up with a gambler reminiscent of her father, and gives birth to a son. Eventually Stan becomes a hobo, staying afloat by giving Tarot readings and selling
horoscopes, but ends up murdering a police officer who attacks him while he sells his merchandise. A final reconnection with Zeena provides him an opportunity to again make a living in the carnival, but he breaks completely and descends into alcoholism and depression when he discovers through a newspaper article that Lilith has wed Grindle. His life in shambles, a drunk Stan finds a carnival owner and asks to join the sideshow as a palm reader. The owner gives Stan some whiskey but refuses his proposal, saying the show is full. But as Stan begins to stumble out, the owner changes his tune and invites Stan back in with a job offer: "Of course, it's only temporary – just until we get a real geek." ==Reception==