Josie Marcus has man troubles. Nate Weekler, the father of her nine-year-old daughter Amelia, has come down from Canada to get acquainted with the daughter he's never met. Problem: Nate is a sloppy drunk, an ex-con, and possibly still a drug dealer. Josie doesn't want him anywhere near Amelia.
Mike, the plumber Josie is currently dating, has a daughter named Heather with his witch of an ex-girlfriend, Doreen. Heather and Amelia don't get along at all. Doreen runs a Christmas-themed store called Naughty or Nice, which sells pornographic Christmas ornaments, in a local mall.
As part of her job, Josie has to mystery-shop Naughty or Nice. Her review (which has nothing to do with her opinion of Doreen) is negative. Doreen finds out and threatens to sue both Josie and her employer.
As if all that weren't enough, Nate buys a chocolate cake for Amelia from Doreen's competition and brings it to Josie's house. He's so drunk Josie won't let him inside. Nate eats the cake himself, gets seriously ill, is rushed to the hospital, and dies there. When the police investigate, they find the cake was tainted with antifreeze. For a while, both Josie and Mike are considered suspects.
But who is the real killer? Josie is determined to find out ...