Christmas this year is going to be a little different for the Keller family, as parents, Anne and Ben, buy their three adult children – oldest son, Cal, middle son, Dylan and daughter, Emory – a river cruise down the Danube River from Germany, through Salzburg, to Vienna touring beautiful European Christmas Markets and towns along the way. The one problem? The very different siblings, who are each going through their own personal life challenges, have naturally gone in separate directions over the years and the idea of spending 10 days cooped up on a river cruise together makes each Keller child cringe for their own reasons. But they say "yes" because that's what families do, never expecting it to turn out to be a glorious once-in-a-lifetime experience full of missed connections, new friendships, stunning vistas, relationship upheaval, budding romances, shipboard games, family bonding, and a secret that brings them all together in time for Christmas.

Adam Kade is the serious face on the local news. His life takes an unexpected turn in early December when he meets Robbie, a 10-year-old who is Adam's biggest fan. Robbie has an important request: He wants his favorite newscaster to talk about more than just what's going wrong in the world. How about reporting on the good stories too? Adam is ambitious and wants to move up in the world, but he takes this question to heart as the holidays approach. He discovers Robbie's mom, Lucy, is a single parent working hard to take care of her son. The last thing she needs is anything complicating a very busy schedule, including Adam. As new friendships form and Adam gains a healthy perspective, his reporting changes. He starts covering feel-good stories about hometown heroes during the holidays. A romance develops between Adam and Lucy, and Lucy lets go of always being so self-reliant as she and Adam draw close. But when Adam's reporting leads to bigger opportunities, he must decide what matters most this holiday season – the bigger job he has been longing for or his newfound community, including the love of a boy who thinks of Adam as his hero.