It's the early sixties and Willie Nelson is down-and-out, barely eking out a living as a singer-songwriter. The week before Christmas, he spots a legless man on a cart, selling wares in front in Leonards department store in Fort Worth, Texas. The humble figure, by the name of Vernon Clay, piques Willie's curiousity, but Vernon is stubbornly private and - despite Willie's charming queries - has no interest in telling his story. Willie is tenacious, though, and he eventually learns that Vernon is a fellow musician, a fine guitarist and singer. When Vernon disappears, he leaves behind only a diary, which tells an epic tale of life-altering tragedies, broken hearts, and crooked record men, not to mention backroad honky-tonks, down-home cooking, and country songwriting genius. Deeply moved and spurred by Vernon's pages, Willie aims to give the man one last shot at redemption and a chance to embody the holiday spirit.