- An Army major awakens in a small room with no idea of who he is or how he got there. He finds four other people in the same room, and they all begin to question how they each arrived there, and more importantly, how to escape.
- It all starts when an Army major wakes up in a small cylindrical room with no way out. The walls are too high to climb and they're too hard to puncture. Trapped inside with him is a clown, a bagpiper, a ballerina, and a hobo. They have all woken up inside there and have no idea where they are, what they're doing there, how long they've been there or even who they are or how long they'll be there. They apparently are unable to feel anything, and every now and then a loud clanging sound makes them all fall down. All of them have tried various ways of finding an exit, unsuccessfully. The Army major especially is determined to escape. He tries all sorts of ways to find an exit, but he cannot find one. Even when he hits the walls with his sword, it shatters. The major suggests that they are in Hell, so there IS no way out. Eventually the five characters decide that the only way out is to make a human tower. But then when the ballerina nearly reaches the top, the clanging sound goes again and they all fall down. They try again and the major falls over the edge, out of the cylinder, onto - The scene then cuts to a little girl picking up a doll in the snow and putting it back into a toy barrel--an Army Major doll. It turns out that the prisoners in the cylinder are actually toy dolls, and the room is a toy collecting barrel for an orphans' home, and the clanging sound is the collecting woman ringing her bell.—almightyone / edited by Rob
- An Army major wakes up in unfamiliar surroundings, a large cylindrical-shaped room, open at the top but with no other way of leaving. He soon learns that he is not alone in the cylinder. There is also a clown, a ballerina, a hobo and a Scottish bagpiper. The others have been there for a while and are seemingly resigned to their fate. The Army major organizes them however and they form a human ladder to get to the top. Their first try ends in failure but the second attempt is more successful. Sort of.—garykmcd / edited by Rob
- When a major awakes in a cylinder with no recollections, he sees a clown first. The he sees a ballerina; a tramp; and a bagpiper trapped inside the space. He tries to find an exit from the place without success. The four other prisoners tell him that they have unsuccessfully tried everything to leave the unknown spot. They also say that they do not have hunger or thirsty while there, but they may feel pain. The major organizes them to support each other as a tower and reach the edge, until he finds where they are.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- A Major wakes up in a featureless metal cylinder, with a light shining down from above. He stands up and looks around, and doesn't find any seams or doors. The Major does find the Clown, and the Major says that he can't remember who he is or how he got there. When he asks who the Clown is, the Clown says that there is no circle and no war. Three figures emerge from the shadows: a Ballerina, a Bagpiper, and a Tramp. The Major wonders where they are and who they are, and the Ballerina tells him that none of them knows. Each of them woke up in the darkness, with no knowledge of what they are or what they'll be. The Major wonders how long they'll be there, and the Clown tells him that it's a good question, but none of them have the answer.
While the Major pounds on the wall, looking for an escape, the others sit passively around. The Clown tells him that he's wasting his time, and none of them have been able to find an escape. The Ballerina suggests that that they may be going insane, or they're a dream, or in a spaceship, or dead and in Limbo. The Major says that it must be a nightmare, and figures someone must know they're there. The Ballerina says that there's been no food or water, and none of them feel hunger or thirst or exhaustion. She says that none of them feel anything, and they've been there for an endless time.
A bell tolls, deafening everyone. None of them know what it is, and the Major calls for someone to let them out. The bell tolls again, and the Ballerina tells the Major that he shouldn't be afraid. She dances for the Major, who says that all he wants is to get out of there. He wants to dig out, using his sword, but it breaks on the wall and breaks into tears. The Ballerina tells him that it will be easier after a while, and says that there may be other dungeons for the unloved, and perhaps that what they are. The Major insists that they must belong somewhere, and there must be others who cares about them. He suggests they dig tunnel, and tries with his sword. He gets nowhere, then says that they must be in Hell.
The Major keeps trying to find a way out, pounding on the walls with his sword. He gets nowhere, and the Ballerina finally agrees with the Major's suggestion that they try to stand on each other shoulders. The Clown disagrees but the Major says that it's at least a try, and the Tramp agrees even though the Clown doesn't. He eventually gives in, and the four men form a human ladder. The Ballerina climbs to the top but can't quite reach the edge. The bell rings, knocking them all down. In the fall, the Ballerina strains her legs. The Major suggests they do the same thing, and he'll go to the top and he'll make a grappling hook out of the hilt of his sword and strips of their clothing.
The men form a human ladder and the Major climbs to the top and uses the improvised grappling hook. He hooks the top and pulls himself out, and screams as he sees what lies over the ledge, slips, and falls. The others fall to the floor, and the Ballerina insists the Major will come back for them. The Clown says that the Major may be back, but not to get them, and suggests that the Major was right and they may be in Hell.
Outside, the Major doll lies on the ground in the snow. A little girl finds him and the mother running the barrel says for her to put it back. The girl does so, and the woman admits that they don't have enough yet for the collection for the orphans. The woman goes back to ringing her bell, while the dolls lie in the barrel, and the ballerina doll reaches for the major while they wait for someone to get them and give them love.
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What is the Spanish language plot outline for Five Characters in Search of an Exit (1961)?
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