Horty Bluett is eight when he runs away from home. He`d been cruelly punished: Junky, the ugly old toy with the jewel-like eyes, the only thing that really belonged to him, had been deliberately smashed. And that hurt even more than having three fingers accidentally severed. Horty finds a new home among the freaks of a travelling carnival, protected by the beautiful midget, Zena. For Zena knows the truth about Junky and the jewels. She knows that Horty is one of the `jewel people`, and she knows what others would do to him if they found out that the jewels are living, thinking alien crystals from outer space.