The six mean Herdman kids lie, steal, smoke cigars (even the girls) and then become involved in the community Christmas pageant.

Pillar of the community, Mary McGill has a finger in every pie, a place on every committee. She's the one the townsfolk can count on when they need help. Everything Mary organizes runs smoothly - apart, that is, from the town's traditional Christmas pageant. For the festivities are rudely interrupted by the discovery of a blood-stained corpse lying in the manger. Cowering beside the body is a small black-and-white puppy. Two local children report...

"Callie and Travis need sheep for the town Christmas pageant. Travis is playing the shepherd in the Nativity scene, and what's a shepherd without his flock? Unfortunately, Fentress is low on sheep--but not on goats. When Callie and Travis decide to borrow two goats from their neighbor, they don't know what they're in for. As it turns out, the main trouble with goats is that they'll eat just about anything. This will be one Christmas pageant Fentress...