In Austin, exes Maggie Collins and Jeff Randall have remained best friends, which has been a benefit in parenting their two children, 12-year-old Mia and teenage Sophie, especially at Christmas, which they have all spent together, even after the split. This Christmas Jeff and his new girlfriend, Kate Reynolds, are taking the girls to Aspen to spend Christmas with her father Ted and stepmother Susan. This change is difficult for Maggie: not only will this be her first Christmas without her girls, but also Mia seems to have become best friends with seemingly-perfect Kate. So when Kate invites her to spend Christmas with them, Maggie jumps at the chance, not even yet knowing about Kate's wealthy family and the family estate that will be the Christmas destination. Further, Kate is usurping many of the Collins-Randall Christmas traditions with her wall-to-wall scheduling of Christmas activities for the girls--and Kate and Jeff usurping what Maggie saw as her special moments as a mother with her daughters. The balance of power changes with the unexpected arrival of Kate's brother, Tokyo-based chef Sam, the black sheep of the family. Seeing what is happening between Maggie and Kate, Sam agrees to help Maggie take back Christmas with her daughters in return for her professional help as a graphic designer in a business pitch he plans to make, concerning what used to be a Reynolds family company--the real reason for his return. A stable relationship has never been part of Sam's life, but he and Maggie start to fall for each other.—Huggo