The story is set on Christmas Eve and features a group of seven destitute travelers who arrive in Rochester, England, seeking shelter for the night. They are welcomed by a kind-hearted innkeeper named Gabriel Grub, who provides them with food, drink, and warm beds.The story is framed as a narrative within a narrative, with Dickens himself appearing as a character who recounts the story to a group of friends. In the course of the story, Dickens describes the lives and backstories of the travelers, each of whom has experienced hardship and adversity.