In recovery from a life-threatening illness, Kate's work as an elf at a Christmas-themed shop begins to suffer as she keeps the secret from her employer and does not discuss it with her first-generation immigrant parents or her distanced sister. As the holidays draw closer, she encounters the same kind-hearted man repeatedly, and finds herself eventually warming to him despite his unreliable nature, letting his optimistic worldview gradually change her and allow her to open her heart.