Melanie Zook’s newlywed sister has moved to Pennsylvania but is desperately unhappy. Melanie yearns to be with her at Christmas time to help her settle into her new life. But money is short, and bus tickets don’t come cheap. Melanie decides to host Christmas parties for the Englisch in their family’s big barn. It would offer the perfect location for a unique party.

Nineteen-year-old Amish schoolteacher Eliza Frey is in love with longtime family friend Andy Clymer - but Andy has no clue. He makes that perfectly clear when he asks Eliza for advice about dating two different women, so he can decide which one to marry, and he’d like to be wed by Christmas. 

Thomas Bontrager moves to Planter’s Point with his orphaned nephew, Bobby, following the death of the Bobby’s parents in a buggy accident that leaves the seven-year-old boy crippled. Bobby now walks with a leg brace, but Thomas fears his nephew’s wounds run much deeper than the one that can be seen. Bobby has grown silent and withdrawn, and Thomas doesn’t know how to reach him. Then, a visit to the town’s bakery brings someone new into their lives, a young woman who might have the ability to help heal Bobby’s heart. 

Nicole Lantz’s life is filled with questions. At 19, she’s on the precipice of adulthood in her small Amish community: baptism, marriage, children, life as a homemaker on an Amish farm. And at the same time, her growing friendship with Englischer Viviana Holt is showing her glimpses of a whole different world. A world that grows increasingly alluring as Christmas draws near and Viviana’s gift sparks disapproval from her parents and Hamish, the young man who is courting Nicole.

Bridget Beck has always harbored feelings for Amos Gerhart. The problem: He’s her cousin’s beau. Yet her cousin isn’t happy in her relationship. She confesses to Bridget that she thinks Amos is too steadfast, too dedicated, and not nearly exciting enough. But when Amos inherits property in Ohio, Dawn decides to marry him anyway. Bridget is certain Dawn is only marrying him for the chance to leave town and start a new life, not because she loves him. 

Eleanor Chupp has spent the last six years caring for her cancer-stricken mother. Now her mother is gone, and Eleanor is left to live alone with her father, a mean-spirited man with a heart of granite. On a bitterly cold January day, Eleanor’s father loses his temper and strikes her. Eleanor, scared for her life, runs away on her bicycle amidst a winter storm. She rides until she’s exhausted and almost frozen. At last, she finds shelter in a barn. 

Englischer Marcy Sutton flees her home in Ohio when problems caused by her husband Scott’s gambling addiction wreak havoc. She takes her two young children to stay at a friend’s lakeside cabin in Indiana, but on the way, the car breaks down, and they are stranded in a blizzard. Marcy and her children seek shelter with Hester and Gideon’s Amish family, whose simple way of life reminds Marcy of the true meaning of the Christmas season.

Thanksgiving should be a joyful season - but not for Mary Shrock. She’d always planned to marry David - never even considered doing anything else with her life. Two weeks before their wedding, David runs off to marry another woman. That was a year ago, and Mary is still feeling the shock and humiliation. Micah Miller lost his wife last year, leaving him with five young kinner to raise on his own, plus a business to run. He is exhausted. 

When Elaine Lapp’s parents decide to move to Pennsylvania, Elaine is given an ultimatum: Find a husband, or move with them. At 25 years old, Elaine is more than ready to start a life of her own, even though she struggles with her physical limitations. Asher Stuckey is a widow with a young daughter, still reeling from the loss of his wife, Rachel. When his path crosses with Elaine’s, he notices the bond she immediately forms with his daughter. As they work to overcome their limitations and past hurts, the two face a crisis that will either make or break their relationship.

Unlike most women her age, Linda Shrock has no plans to get married - ever. When her sister Ruth has baby number five in six years, Linda goes to stay with them. The infant can’t keep her food down and cries constantly, and Ruth’s husband’s furniture-making business is struggling - not the makings for a merry Christmas. And the Weavers’ hired hand, Luke Troyer, seems determined to disrupt Linda’s carefully made plans to live her life out as a spinster. She tries to fight the intense attraction that pulls her and Luke together.

When Joel Troyner’s stepfather passes away, he takes on the responsibility of running not only his own farm, but also that of his widowed mother. Joel’s mother is struggling, and he seeks help for her, using the wages he needed for a farm hand. Louise Yutzy is desperate for a change and eagerly takes on the position offered by Joel. As time passes, she finds herself drawn to him, though he seems too caught up with his work to notice her. When beautiful Denise shows up, vying for Joel’s affection, Louise fears all is lost.

Charis Otto is eager to spend the holiday season with her beau, Eli. Perhaps, he’ll propose to her on Christmas. However, her plans are dashed when her mother forces her to go help her ailing aunt in Illinois. She tearfully departs Ohio, promising Eli she’ll write him often and be back in time for Christmas. Eli agrees to write her as well, and the two sweethearts begin a long-distance relationship.

Irene never imagined her life would turn out the way it has. Is she destined to always be tossed from one sibling to another, caring for their children and households? Is there no room for her dream of a family of her own? When a teaching opportunity comes about in another Amish community, Irene sees it as her way out. But once she secures the job, she comes up against a spinster teacher set like concrete in her ways, a group of parents who hardly give her a chance, and a handsome man whose disapproval vexes her at every turn.

Josiah Schrock has his hands full. His two young nephews have temporarily been living with him since losing their parents in a tragic accident. Unable to care for them while at work, he hires Olivia King to watch them and manage the household. What he doesn’t count on, is how easily Olivia slips into the role. Josiah’s girlfriend, Marjorie, is none too pleased. As Christmas grows near, the boys are to be sent to Pennsylvania to live with kin there. However, Josiah now loves them dearly. How can he send them away?

Caught between love and loyalty, Tamara embarks on a heart-wrenching journey to find a way to protect her father and brothers while also following her own heart. In a story of resilience, sacrifice, and the enduring power of love, Tamara must navigate the complexities of family bonds and the quest for personal happiness in the face of adversity.