American sideshows were in fairs, circuses and carnivals. There were acts such as glass blowers, musicians, and also the freaks. Most freaks just stood there while the audience wondered past. The Hilton Sisters however were trained to put on an engaging act. They sang, they danced and played a variety of musical instruments. They were "hugely popular." "Bound By Flesh" explores the American sideshow, its origins and its heyday when the Hilton Sisters were on display for huge "streams" of crowds pouring into the tent to get a glimpse of these "fetching" sisters. The film includes interviews with Ward Hall, known as the "King of the Sideshow." He is the last of the sideshow promoters in the style of a P.T. Barnum.