When Gerda and her mother take in the penniless street urchin, Kay, powerful forces emerge that will take both children on a magical journey and test their friendship to the extreme. One cold winter night, a splinter of ice pierces Kay's heart and makes him angry and unhappy. He soon becomes enchanted by the Snow Queen and is taken to her palace in the frozen North. Gerda decides that she must do whatever she can to rescue her friend.