Ben Gilsum, a gifted math and history major at John Brown University in Arkansas is recruited by a private-government contractor to be an Intelligence Analyst. He decides to seek membership in a local secret society to volunteer time for his new community and make social connections. The organization is founded on twelfth-century scripts that reveal a scene shared in every Christmas tale has a remarkable ancient twist. During his initiation into the organization Ben learns that anyone connected to power or influence in Washington DC is currency and nearly everyone he meets in his new home is connected in some way to exploit him.