A traveling circus comes to Redwall and Cluny uses it to try in infiltrate the abbey with his lieutenants, dressed as clowns. The mysterious circus star, Wild Ivy the Knifethrower, seemingly mesmerizes Matthias. But she is, in fact, an ally. As Cornflower is threatened with death by Cluny, Ivy turns her circus against the rats in an acrobatic battle of fire-eaters versus fur! And Wild Ivy has seen - that Matthias and Cornflower are destined to be together - if Redwall survives.