Jonathan Toomey is the best woodcarver in the valley.  He keeps to himself, though, and never smiles or laughs.  No one knows that a lace handkerchief, a tiny white blanket, and a portrait of the wife and child he's lost like hidden in a drawer he never opens. 

One day in early winter the widow McDowell comes to call.  Would Mr. Toomey carve a new crèche for her in time for Christmas? And would he allow her young son to watch while he carves it?

A quiet request leads to a joyful miracle, as the widow and her son gently warm the sad heart of Jonathan Toomey.

From the dust jacket