Mama loses Cowboy Johnson in the summer and flees to the ranch to hide out with his ashes just before Christmas. Then a huge blizzard stops most of the misfits from traveling home to the desert store for their annual Christmas gathering. But the desert store does not stay empty. Arrivals are expected. Timmon, Hector, and Annie await the appearance of Cowboy Johnson's angry father Matthew, but unexpected guests show up first, beginning with Susan Sugar Diamond and Lana English. Perry, Matthews other son, is out at a nearby ranch with William the Dude, Emma, and Mama. An intensely moving and luminous gathering of people who have reached a crossroads in their lives.