In the small town of Seacliff, Wash., a child's letter to Santa Claus captures the nation's attention. When the little boy, Chris, writes that he wishes to leave this world so he will no longer be a burden to his divorcing parents, a race begins to find him before he harms himself.

When a photojournalist photographs a mysterious stranger performing an act of bravery, the act quickly becomes headline news and the town dubs the stranger John Christmas. After seeing the photo, Kathleen McAllister becomes convinced that the mysterious stranger is in fact her long-lost brother Hank. With the town's help, Kathleen and Noah set about to find the stranger's true identity with the help Max, a Christmas angel.

Max, an angel in exile, walks around the United States to help humans. In a small town in Maine, he meets a young woman without a family named Sally. As she struggles to get custody of her younger brother, Max immediately believes that his new mission is to help Sally. But Jo, a strict angel, is sent to explain to his colleague that this is not exactly what is expected of him. Indeed, Max's mission is not to help Sally, but Karl, the manager of a small factory of Christmas decorations. His business is barely surviving because its traditional products do not meet the success of yesteryear. First bored, Max notices that Karl knows Sally ...