A Show of Desire

A performer and an outlaw, one meant to give life to art and the other to diminish it.

Florence "Cornelia" Davis is the daughter of travelling performers, Clara and Theodore. Exploring the country while serenading towns and cities, they live under wealth and adventure. Each town has something special, but on occasion, Florence finds something enticing. A young orphan, taken in by outlaws and honed to become a factory of misery, is a thing of beauty in the eye of an artist. Somehow, they seem to find each other throughout the country every few years, their interest deepening.

Florence is proper and gentle beneath her parents' eyes, but this outlaw encourages her to run wild in the streets of new places. It is a struggle to change her outlook on the world to fit into his life. Slowly, she learns that Arthur's crimes do not stop at petty theft or scams. Somehow, it intrigues her further.

Throughout the years, Florence learns that there is nothing permanent about Arthur Morgan, and she learns that she is living the same longing life as countless other women. She finds herself, her own sexuality, and becomes one of the seductive performers in the saloons of various cities as she branches out from her oppressive family.