Firefighter Reuben Morales used to love the holidays. But late on Halloween night, devastating news shatters his world—his sister Vera has died. Assaulted by grief and guilt, unrelenting questions beseige him: Why did God let her die without faith? And could I have done more to save her?

As Christmas approaches, Reuben reluctantly takes charge of the town’s struggling Christmas pageant, but the season only deepens his troubles. Fires rage across the town, set by an arsonist no one can catch. When the arsonist makes it personal, attacking Reuben’s own house, his world feels like it’s going up in flames.

Just when the backdraft is about to hit, Reuben runs into Vera’s spirit again—and everything changes.

Can the meaning of Christmas—and the truths revealed through the pageant and the fire—help Reuben rediscover the hope he thought was lost? Or will the questions and the sorrow consume everything he holds dear?

A novel of family, love, and hope that rises from life’s ashes.