A young girl, anxious over her sick younger brother, spends a sleepless Christmas Eve and slips into a series of dreamlike adventures that reflect childhood fears and temptations. She descends imaginative stairways into lands where good and naughty children are opposed, meets tricksy and pitiful creatures, visits peculiar houses and foggy scenes, and faces tests of selfishness, bravery, and affection. Through encounters with goblins, guardians, and moral obstacles she learns empathy and self-control, and the fantastic journey concludes with hard-won lessons and a return to the familiar world.