The spirit of the season is spreading through the rustic seaside hamlet of Cape Light, as the residents prepare to celebrate the joy of the holidays. But town mayor Emily receives an unexpected and precious Christmas gift when she finds a baby girl tucked away in a decorative cradle set up outside the church, with a note begging whoever discovers the child to take care of her.

Aside from signs that the baby's birth mother was a drug abuser, no one has any idea to whom the child may belong. As the police investigate, Emily is granted temporary custody of baby Jane. Having given up her own daughter years ago, she missed out on the many wonderful experiences that come with motherhood. And though she tries to be reasonable and mature about the situation, something about little Jane makes her feel that she was meant to find the baby and raise her as her own. But the changes an adoption would bring do not sit well with her husband, Dan, who has already struggled with the issues of raising children once in his life, and does not want that responsibility again. Now, in the midst of the year's most joyous season, Emily must come to terms with her duty to her family, her own feelings of regret and loss-and what her heart truly desires.