On Thanksgiving Day, 1953 Samantha "Sam" McCaslin was content with life on her family's ranch in South Dakota. It was her birthday, and her life was just beginning. She had turned twelve and was certain that the year ahead would be special.

But her world soon shatters. Sam stumbles across the body of an Indian friend who was a hired hand helping her father on the ranch. With her mother sick, Sam is determined to bring the magic of Christmas back to the family of her murdered friend. Realizing suddenly that the world outside is not the perfect place that her parents had created on the ranch, Sam makes a harrowing Christmas Eve ride to spread the joy of Christmas, even if there are those out to destroy it.

Anti-Indian racism and the ignorance of the world outside her own front door are brought to full light as Sam finds herself being stalked by her friend's killer. Blending suspense with deep and poignant emotion, a young girl undergoes an epiphany that changes her life forever in a Christmas story that will remain a classic for many seasons to come.