Emilie Ferrier is the last of a wealthy and powerful family. She is beautiful, dedicated to her job teaching troubled children and haunted by memories of the past. Left sterile by polio, she is desperate to adopt a child she can love and fulfill her life. But time after time, her hopes are raised, only to be dashed by the cruel realities of being a single, crippled mother.

Nick Garret takes in his sister's children after a tragic accident leaves them without parents. Uncertain about his ability to raise his young niece and nephew, he is convinced that they need a settled life and two parents to love them. Being raised by a single mother makes him adamant that he will not adopt out his charges to a single mother, no matter how wealthy. Life brings them head to head but love lights the way home. Can the spirit of Christmas and the wisdom of Emilie's eccentric Aunt Elspeth bring them together as a family?