The mid-west town of Cave City, Kentucky is preparing for its annual Christmas festival, when festivities are disrupted by a sudden snowstorm. While sitting out the blizzard, a group of former friends who have returned for a high school reunion discover what has happened in the intervening years.

When 12-year-old Rob Horton discovers a caged tiger in the woods near his home, his imagination runs wild and life begins to change in the most unexpected ways. With the help of a wise and mysterious maid, Willie May and the stubborn new girl in school, he must navigate through childhood memories, heartache, and wondrous adventures.