While still mourning the loss of her husband and daughter, recently widowed Ellie King visits her brother Aaron Davis and his children for Christmas. Ellie does her best to enjoy the holidays, even making new friends with Mrs. Thompson, a local shop keeper, and handsome admirer Deputy Strode. Settling in nicely with her brother's family, Ellie also meets Erik, a young man abandoned by his outlaw father whom Aaron has taken in as one of his own. When Aaron travels out of town to purchase adjacent land for farming, Ellie agrees to watch his children, but the season’s festivities are threatened when Aaron goes missing.

Eddie James, a disgruntled actor who wants to do more than play "Mulligan the Rabbit" on a children's TV show, discovers life can change in a heartbeat when he accidentally gets into a car accident with single mother Annie Baker. In the unexpected friendship that develops between them, Eddie tries to help Annie's nearly-blind daughter Taylor get an operation to restore her sight.