This is the story of the Osmond Family and is based on the book written by Olive (Mother) Osmond. This film tells of the beginnings of this family and how they got to where they were by the late '70s.

A cowboy comes to a town at Christmas time. He eats at a cafe but was unable to pay for his meal, so the owner throws him in jail. The town wants to alleviate their guilt over a Mexican family, who has pregnant woman with them, who lives on top of a mountain called Christmas mountain. They bail out the cowboy and tells to bring some old clothes and food to them. While there the young boy of the family feels sorry for him and prays that god will send him some help. It comes in the form of an old friend of his who died years ago. He tells him that he is not exactly living a proper life but he has a chance to turn things around, first by telling the townsfolk that their so called charity towards the Mexicans is not enough.