The time is December, 1837, and the Daly family, Irish immigrants, are struggling to survive on a farm in Upper Canada (as Ontario was then known). The country is in turmoil thanks to exploitation of the poor, land swindles, and the suppression of freedom by the wealthy Tories.
One day Old Mr. Moss, who has threatened to foreclose on the Daly farm, arrives with a dark stranger named Ferguson, and begins referring to “Tir-Nan-Og,” the legendary Irish land of bliss. He invokes Tim’s help, and he and his sister Kate are soon tested by the arrival of Mr. Bender, a sinister peddler with supernatural powers. On Christmas Eve, the two find themselves in a magic realm, where the battle between good and evil is in full tilt. With the help of Harami, an Arab outlaw and the Jewish sage King Solomon, they fight to revive the dying Tir-Nan-Og. But can they defeat the evil Mr. Bender, who is the embodiment of Samael, the Dark Lord? Adventure, horror, comedy, politics, and history blend in this story, which reaches its climax on Christmas Day when the figures of myth come alive, and two worlds meet.