 The Mother-Showman runs a freak show in England, consisting of 8 Human Wonders, and she intends for the Girl to be the 9th Wonder.It is during scene 27–when the Mother-Showman forces the Girl to bathe herself–that the Girl begins her life as the Venus Hottentot.The year is 1810, and the Venus Hottentot's exhibition of her nudity and dancing has become a lucrative business for the Mother-Showman.