In Lebanon, Illinois the annual Victorian Holiday Festival kicks off a month of celebrating Christmas-and Charles Dickens. He's the town's claim to fame ever since he stayed at the Mermaid Inn during his 1842 tour of America. But judging from the snarky comments Dickens wrote in his travelogue, he was certainly not a fan of Lebanon. Professor Merrideth Randall gets the opportunity to find out why when her "dream house" goes on the market, and a realtor gives her a key to the front door. Built in 1839, it sits right across the street from the Mermaid Inn, so it's the perfect place to use her amazing time-rewinding computer software. Brett Garrison, brilliant professor of physics during the workday, and her witty partner in historical adventures during the off hours, goes along with her. Spending time with the man she loves-while pretending they're only friends-is even more difficult than she thought it would be. Together Merrideth and Brett meet an interesting assortment of Lebanon's citizens in 1842, and they finally find out what Dickens was really thinking when he wrote about them. As usual, everyone from the past has much to teach Merrideth about mankind's sinfulness and God's plan to rescue them. Will she finally come to the point of trusting him, or will all the holiday hoopla around town get in the way of understanding the true meaning of Christmas?