Sixteen-year-old Nicholas Claus proves he's a man, in his family's eyes, by capturing his first reindeer of his very own herd. This is an important step in his life for his ancestors have always believed that reindeer bring the family luck. In his quest to capture his own herd, Nicholas discovers he possesses the rare gift of being able to talk with his reindeer. Intrigued by mushers preparing their dogs for the winter sled dog racing competition, Nicholas befriends Gunther who shares the thrills of the race with him. This knowledge spurs Nicholas on to not only teach his reindeer to pull his sleigh for transportation to and from town, but to train his team to race in a sled dog race to win the Musher's Crown. Nicholas finds, however, that herding reindeer poses many challenges: to protect his herd from fierce predators, to fight severe arctic storms, and to race his team alone, on treacherous ground, when he finds he must race his deer unofficially in the sled dog race. He meets these obstacles with the help of his family, his faith, and his determination to win; and through it all, he finds reindeer luck.