Though two schools have recently merged into one, students at the newly formed Carter-Cresswell Academy have yet to blend into one harmonious body. Particularly for the award-winning choral groups of the two former schools, old rivalries die hard. Music teachers Diana Deason (Natasha Henstridge) and Ken Stoddard (Gabe Hogan) are forced to compete for a single music department position by entering dueling musical acts in a televised Christmas song competition.
Vera Parks (Melissa Gilbert), an overly intense and demanding Broadway director, gets fired from yet another job, leaving her no choice but to take a gig directing a small town Christmas pageant in upstate New York. Stunned at how basic the production is, Vera attempts to back out, but is convinced by some of the locals to give their town a chance.
