Twenty years following a fateful Christmas eve battle between mice and toy soldiers, Doctor Clara Marie Stahlbaum grew up to follow in her Father's footsteps, studying overseas and becoming a successful General Surgeon. When a distressing letter from home ushers her back to Nuremberg to be with her Godfather Drosselmeyer in his final days, the last thing she expected was to suffer the lingering stigma of being prone to wild imagination and hysterics. Indeed the prestige of Clara's newfound title was not enough to keep her family's concerns for her mental health at bay. Even worse, when Godfather Drosselmeyer presents Clara with her once-beloved childhood Nutcracker, and again presses her to believe in his fantastic stories and recall the events of a near-forgotten dream, the resentment of two decades brings a regretful end to the Stahlbaum family reunion. However, as the shadows grow long, and the scrape of claws close in with the passing of the evening hours, Clara Stahlbaum soon learns that those who choose not to confront the demons of their past, have only granted them permission to ambush at will.