Ellen Kauffman’s younger sister Nancy is walking a dangerous path. Smitten with the divorced father of one of her nursery school students, Nancy has become deaf to Ellen’s warnings. Ellen will do anything to save her sister from being shunned. So, when Mark Otto, the man Ellen secretly loves, declares his interest in Nancy, Ellen sets aside her feelings and does all she can to help him.

Rebecca lost her parents in a tragic fire and was sent to live with her uncle, Jonas. Jonas's hope is that Rebecca will marry Daniel, his partner in the buggy shop. But Rebecca's heart is somewhere else, and she can't imagine spending her life with Daniel. Evan has returned back home after moving to his wife's Amish community when they married. But with his wife’s passing one year ago, his heart has now taken him back to his family's farm with his two children.

Lydia is a free spirit, resisting her parents' attempt to have her court the son of her father's friend, David. She feels nothing for him and will only marry for love. Her childhood friend, Jacob, has secretly loved Lydia for a long time, but hasn't confessed his feelings to her as he knows a courtship between her and David is imminent. As Lydia spends more time with Jacob, she finds her feelings for him changing. As Christmas approaches, both Jacob and Lydia look at each other in a new light, with Jacob seeing Lydia as only a friend now.

Rachel never wanted to court Jed. Jed wants a wife to help run his store and romance doesn't figure into his plan. While Rachel's parents encourage her to marry Jed for a secure life, Rachel refuses to live a loveless life. Matthew has arrived in town to help his cousin, who was injured in an accident, on his farm. When Matthew meets Rachel, he's intrigued and wants to get to know her better, until he learns she is courting Jed.

Berea Bachman helps her parents run an Amish Bed and Breakfast. Curious and a bit nosy, she loves hearing about the lives of the guests who come to stay with them. Shortly before Christmas an Englischer arrives, a man who is both intriguing and different—a man who captures her imagination. Daniel Lapp has loved Berea for years, but she doesn’t consider him as anything more than the man who he is hired to do various jobs around the inn.