An American Christmas Carol

In Depression-era Concord, Slade, aided by Thatcher and his staff, starts confiscating possessions of debtors who cannot repay. He presses for immediate payment and denies any extension, showing no mercy. The afternoon scene sets his reputation as a ruthless, penny-pinching businessman.

While collecting debts, Slade disassembles leather-bound books, including an original Dickens edition, intending to sell the bindings for profit. He rebukes Thatcher for not supporting him and fires him, shocking the clerk's family and demonstrating his brutal business ethics. The scene shows the depth of Slade's contempt for those who stand in his way.

As the warehouse loses power, eerie noises from repossessed items rise around Slade. The ghost of Jack Latham, his former partner, materializes to warn him that his life could end in Hell if he does not change. Latham tells Slade to expect three spirits that will guide his fate.

The first ghost—appearing as Merrivale—pulls Slade back to his youth, showing an early apprenticeship with Mr. Brewster. Slade imagines an ambitious plan for a modern chair that would propel his future, but Brewster rejects it as impractical. The memory underscores how Slade's relentless drive began long before wealth and acquisitions.

Slade pursues Helen, Brewster's daughter, while chasing professional success. His ambition drives him to seek opportunities far from home and from Helen's expectations. The scenes reveal the strain between personal happiness and ruthless business tactics.

A later memory shows Brewster's factory burning from an overtime worker's cigar, and Brewster pleads with Slade's ally Latham for rebuilding money. Slade assumes control of the situation and secures Latham's funding for aggressive acquisitions. The event foreshadows how greed catalyzes disastrous outcomes.

During Brewster's funeral, Helen silently spurns Slade, a poignant reminder of the personal cost of his choices. He protests that he never meant to hurt them, but the moment seals the rift between his ambitions and familial happiness. The memory reinforces the consequences of his cutthroat methods.

The second ghost—appearing as Jessup—shows Slade the present holiday. Helen is married with a daughter, Thatcher's family mourns the loss of his job, and Thatcher's son Jonathan is physically disabled. Jessup warns that Jonathan will die if Slade's ways persist, linking present prosperity to a fragile future.

The third ghost, in the form of Matt Reeves, takes Slade to a bleak possible future where Jonathan dies and Slade's possessions are auctioned and burned after his own death. The town celebrates the demise of a once-feared man, illustrating how his greed would ruin lives. Slade pleads to be returned to the present to alter this fate.

Awakening on Christmas morning, Slade resolves to undo the wrongs of his past and to seek redemption. He agrees to confront the consequences of his prior actions and to make amends. The shift marks the turning point from miserliness to generosity.

Slade repents by returning repossessed items to the debtors and repairing relationships. He returns the recovered books to Merrivale, including the old Dickens volume, and gifts each debtor with tokens of reconciliation. His gestures begin to repair the damage his greed caused.

To seal his change, Slade offers Merrivale, Jessup, and Reeves meaningful gifts, including a turkey for the Thatchers and tickets to an Australian clinic for Jonathan. He also adopts a bitter orphan from Jessup's orphanage as his ward and apprentice, cementing his transformation into a benefactor of others.