The story takes place in a small town in Kansas, where Charlie (John Cusack John Cusack), a local lawyer who specializes in gang lawsuits, is usually unlucky, but has a lot of luck on Christmas Eve. He and his law firm partner Vic (Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton) got a full $2 million from local mob boss Bill (Randy Quaid Randy Quaid)! The two plan to leave with the money on Christmas Day, and Charlie plans to bring his confidante Renata (Connie Nelson Connie Nielsen) with him. Their dreams were shattered by a snowstorm on Christmas Day. Because of the snowstorm, the local traffic was completely paralyzed and everyone was trapped in this small town. Seeing the killers sent by Bill approaching and the police chasing them, how did Charlie and Vic spend this snowy Christmas Eve?