It's 1864 and Washington, D.C., is settling down to the coldest Christmas Eve in years. In the White House, President and Mrs. Lincoln plot their gift-giving. On the banks of the Potomac, a young rebel challenges a Union blacksmith's mercy. In the alleys downtown, an escaped slave loses her daughter just before finding freedom. Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant face Christmas Eve with their troops.

This musical by Pulitzer Prize–winner Paula Vogel intertwines many lives in a rich and engaging tapestry.