Railroad conductor Lee Donovan has struggled to raise his nine-year-old son Alex since the death of his wife and twin toddlers. He is fed up with the busybodies and school personnel who refuse to believe a single father can be a capable parent.
As the second anniversary of the Christmas Eve tragedy approaches, Alex grows increasingly agitated, insisting that his siblings' spirits want to take him to their mother. Lee grudgingly admits that he needs help and turns to Bethany Parks, the school librarian with whom Alex has developed a bond—and whose earlier offer of help Lee had curtly rebuffed.
What follows surprises them all, but brings wonderful gifts: the healing power of forgiveness and the promise of love.