Provincial Canada. Ten year old Albert Caron is a good student and a hard worker, although he wishes the cows did not need attention every single morning and evening. They have no TV but listen to the radio almost every night. His family is adequately provided for with the basics but there is no money for extras...such as the accordion he wants so badly for Noel (Christmas).

This gentle and charming story starts slowly, then builds, as we watch young Albert learn life lessons such as gratitude, values, hard work, perseverance, honor, and resourcefulness. His family's outlook on life ends up influencing a vagrant who has taken up residence in their defunct maple sugaring cabin. The family is Catholic and many of the church traditions are part of the story.