Alex is a young circus and member of the historical Italian Vassallo family who founded the circus of Vienna in 1991. The circus is a peculiar stage, and Alex embodies its contradictions. Not only is he Alex the performer , he is also a self-questioning, profound young man in perpetual conflict between his desire for freedom and the need to create solid and lasting bonds. In every town he visits, every square he stops in, dozens of people pass by. Their glances cross for a fraction of a second; theirs are unfamiliar faces, always new, and he retains no memory of them. The only deep bonds which remain are with his family members and the artists with whom he shares his lifestyle. Despite having the opportunity to travel and see the world, his whole life unfolds within the confines of the circus. He moves within that space defined by a metallic fence, a makeshift boundary which separates the world outside from his own. The circus is his lens; through the circus he sees the world. And for the brief time of a performance, the world sees him and reaches him, wherever he is. "That fierce fire burning within" explores the contradictions of the nomadic lifestyle, following the form of an open dialogue between a photographer and a young circus entertainer both in search of their artistic identity.