Ms. Scrooge

In December in Providence Ebenita Scrooge runs a savings and loan with cold efficiency. She underpays her staff, denies health benefits, and evicts a family for falling behind on rent. Her wealth has come at the cost of personal relationships, including with Luke the local minister.

On Christmas Eve Ebenita is visited by the ghost of Maude Marley, her late mentor and former partner. Maude explains that greed has chained them both and warns that three spirits will show Ebenita what to change. She sets the stage for a life changing journey.

The Ghost of Christmas Past takes Ebenita to her childhood in the Deep South. Ebenita is a bright girl, especially skilled at math, with a brother Perry by her side. The family life is cozy until the economic realities threaten their home.

One night the building is firebombed and George Scrooge dies rushing in to extinguish the flames. The tragedy leaves Ebenita and Perry in shock and their family financially ruined.

To cover mounting debts the Scrooges are forced to sell their family home after Georges death. The loss marks a turning point in Ebenita and Perry's lives and tightens the grip of scarcity.

Fifteen years pass after their mother's death. Ebenita travels to Providence seeking employment, while Perry marries his high school sweetheart and joins the Army.

Ebenita secures an internship at Maude's savings and loan and is quickly promoted to head bookkeeper with a generous raise. She begins to feel secure in the world of finance and begins to consider a future with Maude.

Ebenita also finds love with Steven, a young lawyer from the Deep South. Their engagement dissolves when Steven plans on returning to the South to aid the Black community, leaving Ebenita fearful of living at the bottom again.

While Ebenita faces career decisions, her brother Perry dies in Vietnam, leaving behind his wife and son Luke. The family mourns and the wartime losses deepen the strain on Ebenita's sense of security.

In the present the Cratchit family remains warm and hopeful despite poverty. Tim suffers from a slow growing tumor that will require expensive treatment, and Ebenita learns that their attempts to qualify for help are blocked by her wage level.

The Ghost shows Luke's church where a sermon on the difference between heaven and hell echoes in Ebenita. Luke confronts her about the consequences of her choices and continues to hold onto faith and hope.

The Ghost of Christmas Future reveals a bleak vision: Ebenita dies of a heart attack in the vault while trying to close the day's receipts and the firm is shut down. Tim's condition worsens and the family learns that the business coercion has harmed their ability to access care.

Ebenita wakes in her room on Christmas Day feeling loved and hopeful again. She senses a chance to repair the harm she caused and commit to a kinder path.

She begins to repair the damage by acts of generosity: inviting Bob's family to a turkey dinner, returning the antique lamp, bailing the owner's son out of jail, and sponsoring a homeless shelter. She also treats her staff with respect and plans medical health benefits for all. She attends Luke's church with a renewed spirit and joy, meeting his daughter.