Raised by Santa's elves at the North Pole, Buddy, a human who was accidentally transported there as a baby, grows up blissfully unaware of his origins. Towering over his pint-sized family and unable to proficiently join in their toymaking endeavors, Buddy's enormous size and poor toy-making skills eventually raise questions about his heritage. The head elf confesses to Buddy that he is, in fact, a human and that his real father lives in New York City. He also learns that his father is on Santa's "naughty list" for being a heartless workaholic. With a childlike innocence and a boundless enthusiasm for all things Christmas, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York in search of his father, armed with only a few meager possessions: his elf outfit and a picture of his mother with his father.

Upon arrival in New York, Buddy experiences the complexities of human culture through a series of comical mishaps, from indulging in inedible sugar-loaded treats to navigating the bustling city. He finds his father, Walter, who is initially skeptical and indifferent to the notion that the man-child in an elf costume is his son. As Buddy strives to build a relationship with his disillusioned father, he spreads his unwavering joy for the festive season and unwittingly shakes up the lives of everyone around him, all while trying to understand his place in a world that seems to him both fascinating and overwhelming.