Escaping to NYU for college didn't turn out the way Cameron planned--he's flunking his theater classes, about to lose his scholarship, and he still hasn't found anyone he can call his "people." When he gets home for winter break, he's so desperate to avoid a Conversation with his dad that he takes the first acting job he can get--as a mall elf. Despite how Scroogey he feels, the plus side is that there's a cash prize for the most festive of Santa's helpers.

But the competition is fierce--especially from fellow elf Marco. Christmas spirit oozes out of his veins. At first Cam is determined to see him as nothing but a rival, but as they spend more time together, Cam starts to second-guess himself. What if he's finally found his people here--in the fakest consumerist nightmare place on Earth, where he least expected it?