As the film begins, a stage curtain is opened and a life-sized male puppet walks around the stage. The puppet begins to destroy the room, breaking a mirror and turning over a table. Then, he looks up, realizes he's attached to the puppeteer, Craig, by strings and struggles to unbind himself. As the play comes to an end, the puppeteer takes a drink of his beer.

The next morning Craig is in bed with a parrot talking on his head. His wife, Lotte, comes in, removes the parrot, and talks to her about finding a new job. She goes to work and asks her husband to check out Elijah, the chimp, who is not feeling well. As Craig watches television later, he sees Derek Mantini's gimmick to get people to praise him - move a massive puppet from the side of a bridge. Craig...