Nineteen days before Christmas, accountant Peter Brockman is dumped by his fiancée, Jill, because of his workaholic ways and being emotionally detached from life. Proverbially drowning his sorrows (with soda) at a lounge, Peter meets the lounge's "volunteer" blues pianist/singer Bob, who works solely for tips. The two discuss their love of music and Peter's long since forgotten dreams of becoming a musician when he was younger. When Bob invites Peter to his home for dinner with his family followed by a jam session, Peter has no idea that Bob's home is a shelter and that his family is comprised of the other homeless men. After speaking to Sister Agatha, the tough, straight-talking nun at the shelter, Peter, reevaluating his life, decides the best way he can help is to form a choir at the shelter, the choir's performances which would help give a little extra pocket money to its members so that they can have a merrier Christmas. The choir faces many obstacles, including the dichotomy between Peter and its members, unrealized expectations and Sister Agatha's skepticism. But the biggest obstacles may be the baggage each person brings to the group, the person with the largest baggage being perhaps Peter himself, who has long been estranged from his alcoholic father. Through it all, Marilyn, a new friend of Peter's, is by his side hoping that she can provide a little assistance and guidance to Peter realizing his dreams.