The story opens with an exterior of a Midwestern farmhouse. Once inside, we follow our titular heroine as she bounds out of bed on Christmas morning, going about her usual routine with her father and grandparents. The banality of the situation is underpinned with a building sense of dread, as it transpires that her situation is far from normal: Jessica's house is full of creatures. Some are whimsical, some sexual, some frightening, some despairing and some malevolent. But most terrifying is Jessica's father, whose promise of presents under the tree is loaded with violence.