A boy and his father go on a ski trip to Mount Baker, despite protests from the boy's mother. His father promises that they'll be home in time for Christmas Eve dinner, and she relents. On the day they're supposed to go home, the boy's father wants to continue to ski until as late as possible to take advantage of the fresh coat of snow. When it's time to go, they drive until they hit a blockade in the road. A state trooper tells them that the road is closed because of the snowstorm. The father complains, but he eventually turns around and takes his son to a diner for burgers, worried that his wife will never forgive him. He makes a call on the payphone. The trooper drives away and leaves the barricade unattended. The father and son get in the car and the boy's father tells him to move the barricade. His father drives through the piles of snow skillfully, and the boy trusts that they will make it. However, he is also aware that there will probably be more troopers on the other side of the closed road. The boy decides to enjoy the ride as much as possible while it lasts, and not to worry about the state troopers or his parents' failing marriage.