On the coldest day in Texas--February 12, 1899--Shyanne Jones and her twin sister, Shenandoah, are snowbound in their schoolhouse in the Panhandle, along with the teacher--Shyanne's adored Miss Gibson--and Josh Paul Younger, the cutest boy in the county. Before rescuers can dig them out, Shenandoah's frail heart is weakened by the severe temperature. Gravely ill, she whispers her only wish.
Bracing against the storm, Josh Paul and Miss Gibson cut the one tree within miles to grant her wish, and the four celebrate Christmas ten months early. When Shenandoah dies, Shyanne bitterly regrets...