Sam Field, Eric McCormack, is a high-powered businessman and the scion of a wealthy industrialist family who runs his own factory. Though a consummate workaholic, he lives a glossy playboy lifestyle and grapples with not meeting his father’s towering expectations.
Sam’s spokesman and best friend, Dave Hebert, Shawn Thompson, explains that a wealthy potential buyer believes Sam is a loyal family man. To land the deal, Sam agrees to a plan: hire actors to play his wife and son, even though the idea makes him squirm.
Enter Zoey Russell, Sarah Rosen Fruitman, a bright, energetic 7-year-old who bursts into Sam’s house, treating it like her own dollhouse. Zoey’s mother Kathleen Russell, Roma Downey, is a single parent juggling a demanding factory job with motherhood; she once dreamed of being an artist, but took a different path.
Kathleen is offered a substantial sum to pose as Sam’s wife. She is initially wary, but the chance to save for a down payment and because Zoey has formed a bond with Sam’s house convinces her to accept. Sam’s staff gives them a makeover and they learn their lines under the guidance of Javier Del Campo, Héctor Elizondo, who will stay at the mansion to seal the negotiations.
As the arrangement stretches into a two-week weekend, Zoey becomes more attached to Javier, while Sam grows uncomfortable with the disruption to his work. An accidental mishap in Sam’s office triggers a heated outburst, prompting Kathleen to quit in frustration. Sam goes to Kathleen’s apartment, apologizes, and convinces her to return.
That night, the trio goes ice skating, and Zoey spots a kind of angelic joy in Javier. Sam realizes his feelings for Kathleen run deeper than his earlier flirtations, complicating the pretend family dynamic.
Trouble escalates when Jerry Russell, Kevin Hicks, shows up at a lunch with Sam and Javier, threatening to reveal the ruse. To buy time, Sam offers Jerry money, with the condition that he stay quiet until after Christmas.
Kathleen learns that the deal would involve selling the company’s production to Mexico, risking many employees’ jobs, including some at her husband’s factory. She urges Sam to consider the human cost behind the merger, pushing him to rethink his priorities and the lives at stake.
On Christmas Eve, Javier signs the contract; Sam, who says he doesn’t do business on Christmas, refuses. Instead, he shares a kiss with Kathleen under the mistletoe, which leaves Zoey distressed. Jerry arrives and confusion ensues, but Javier remains understanding and indicates he would honor the contract. Yet Sam remains firm in his decision to protect the employees’ jobs.
Christmas morning climaxes with a moment of trust and sacrifice. Jerry leaves, and Zoey, feeling abandoned, climbs a tree to watch her new father leave. Sam follows and catches her when the branch breaks; the moment seals a new, hopeful bond. In the end, Zoey accepts Sam as her father, and the makeshift family begins a more genuine, lasting connection.
