7 Faces of Dr. Lao

The enigmatic Dr. Lao arrives in Abalone riding a golden donkey and goes straight to Edward Cunningham's newspaper to place a large advertisement for his traveling circus. The ad promises a show for two nights only, igniting curiosity and unease among the town's people. Time/Place: daytime, Abalone, Arizona.

Wealthy rancher Clinton Stark arrives at the newspaper offices to challenge Cunningham about an editorial opposing his town-buyout plan. Lao quietly waits nearby, listening as the confrontation unfolds. Time/Place: afternoon, Edward Cunningham's newspaper, Abalone, Arizona.

Cunningham displays warmth toward Angela Benedict during a library visit, embarrassing her in front of others. Angela suppresses her growing feelings, wary of the attention. Time/Place: daytime, Abalone Library.

At the town hall, Stark claims the town's 16-mile water pipe is decaying and vows that a replacement would be too costly. He offers to buy the entire town, setting the stage for a critical Friday-night vote. Time/Place: evening, Town Hall, Abalone, Arizona.

The following day, Cunningham confronts Lao at the circus site, pressing questions about Lao's claimed hometown that vanished centuries ago. Lao deflects the inquiry with practiced diplomacy. Time/Place: daytime, Circus site, Abalone.

Angela's young son Mike learns that Lao is 7,321 years old, a revelation that deepens the mystery surrounding the traveler. The knowledge fuels Mike's awe and curiosity about the world. Time/Place: daytime, Abalone.

When the circus opens, Lao uses his many faces—Pan, the Great Serpent, Medusa, Merlin—to offer wisdom and wonder. The crowd is enchanted, yet the performances also carry an unsettling edge. Time/Place: opening night, Circus site, Abalone.

Mike approaches Lao seeking a job, but Lao declines and instead delivers a poetic speech about life and the world as a circus. Mike leaves inspired, absorbing Lao's philosophy. Time/Place: opening night, Circus site, Abalone.

Stark's henchmen destroy the newspaper office on the first night of Lao's show. Angela lies awake as Pan's music plays—a sound she seems to hear but others do not. Time/Place: night, Newspaper office, Abalone.

At dawn, the newsroom is mysteriously restored and the press runs again. The editors rush a short edition to deliver to Stark, hoping to influence the town's decision. Time/Place: dawn, Newspaper office, Abalone.

Lao stages a magical lantern show depicting a once-happy kingdom undone by pettiness and greed, ending in explosions and darkness that temper the townspeople's mood. Time/Place: evening, Circus site, Abalone.

Following the vision, the townspeople vote unanimously to reject Stark's offer. In the aftermath, Angela confesses her love to Cunningham, shifting the town's personal dynamics. Time/Place: evening, Town Hall, Abalone.

Stark's henchmen, in a drunken spree, trash Lao's circus and break Dr. Lao's fishbowl. The Loch Ness Monster emerges giant from the broken bowl, but Lao conjures rain to wet and shrink it back to size. Time/Place: night, Circus site, Abalone.

Morning reveals only a red circle on the desert floor where the tent once stood. Mike finds one of the henchmen's hats and three wooden juggling balls he uses to summon Lao's spirit and observe the landscape anew. Time/Place: morning, Desert near Abalone.

Dr. Lao rides away, leaving behind his guiding message that the circus of life is itself a wonder. His parting words echo the idea that everything within the show is a marvel to behold. Time/Place: following morning, desert outskirts of Abalone.