In Cairo in November 1890, the Murray twins are allowed to roam the circus’s backstage living quarters, but during performance hours their father requires them to have a chaperone until they are at least eight. The twins loudly object, and Widget jokes about whether their ages can count as a combined total.

That night Celia Bowen, dressed plainly without her stage costume, is assigned to escort them. Unrecognized by patrons, she walks them through the circus; the twins quickly grow restless in the Ice Garden and plead to ride the Carousel, arguing over mounts before taking multiple rides.

In the courtyard, Celia buys Widget popcorn. He insists on caramel, prompting a vendor to drizzle caramel over the popcorn and inspiring nearby patrons to request the same. Poppet says she is not hungry and seems distracted, so Celia leads them down a quieter passage and asks what is wrong.

Poppet tells Celia she does not want “the nice lady” to die, saying “they’re going to put her in the ground,” but she cannot identify the woman because “they look the same.” Pressed for details, Poppet explains she saw it “in the stars,” and adds that Widget “sees things on people.” Widget confirms he sometimes sees places people have been and what they have done, and when Celia asks what he sees on her, he describes unsettling images from her past and a “ghost man with a frilly shirt” following her—until Celia makes the vision vanish, warning him that some things are not for him to see.

Watching the ever-burning bonfire, Celia reflects that something began affecting the entire circus when it was lit on opening night, and she links that moment to the twins’ birth around midnight. Concerned by the twins’ apparent talents and the ominous hint in Poppet’s vision, Celia tells Poppet to report anything important she sees in the stars. Despite thinking it is not a good idea, Celia offers to teach the twins magic when they are older, insisting it must remain a secret, and they eagerly agree as she leads them back to the courtyard.