In 1843, miserly businessman Scrooge is visited by a ghost from the past on a freezing Christmas Eve and is forced to face the impact of his self-interested, penny-pinching behaviour on his own life and those around him.

As warned by Marley, when midnight strikes, Scrooge is visited by the Spirit of Christmas Past. The spectre takes the miser on a journey that exposes his darkest childhood memories, his cut-throat business manner, his isolation and his manipulation of those around him, including the Cratchits.

Scrooge is confronted with another spirit, which has assumed a familiar form drawn from his own tortured past. He witnesses the present day, and the seemingly happy Christmas enjoyed by the Cratchit family - but also learns there are cracks beneath the surface which he is responsible for making. The final ghost arrives to give Scrooge a glimpse of what the future holds - and a tragedy that will force him to confront the consequences of his misdeeds.