That evening, after visiting hours are over, a mysterious visitor—dressed in the robes and headpiece of Middle Eastern royalty—comes to Joey’s room. Shaz is from an ancient line of stargazers, he tells Joey. He has come to show Joey how he can find his miracle.

Soon, a rare star—larger than any in the sky—will appear at Christmas. Legend has it that this star, which appears only once every several hundred years, is known as the Miracle Star. Whoever recognizes it and believes in its special message can receive a miracle. When Joey asks what the message is, his new friend replies with a wise smile: that is for Joey to discover for himself. Before leaving, he promises to return and show Joey how to search the night sky.

As Christmas nears, Joey spends his time gazing hopefully out his hospital window, searching for the Miracle Star. During this time, Hunter and his girlfriend Denèe enter the scene. They meet Joey when their Sunday school class visits the hospital to bring the children Christmas cheer. As Joey begins sharing about his mysterious visitor—whom neither his parents nor hospital staff ever see come or go—Hunter and Denèe are baffled.

What Joey is telling them sounds eerily similar to the play Hunter, a drama major in college, has written and is now directing for their church’s annual Christmas production. The play, called Legend of the Wooden Star, is about a small, hand-carved wooden star resembling the Bethlehem Star that a young shepherd boy witnessed and later gifted to the Christ child at the nativity. In the play, that same wooden star appears again—this time during Jesus’s final hours on the cross. How that happens is the power of the story told in the play, involving an unforgettable character.

Back at the hospital, Joey is excited when he hears about the play. When he asks his parents if he can go, they and the doctors say no—Joey is far too fragile to leave the hospital. As his condition worsens, he continues searching for the appearance of the Miracle Star.

Finally, on the last night of the performance on Christmas Eve, Joey’s miracle is about to happen. The doctors relent and allow him to go—a last wish. But hope is not lost, as he finally sees the Miracle Star in the night sky and, most importantly, understands its special message. As his miracle unfolds, Joey discovers the true identity of his hospital visitor and realizes that the ancient wooden star is more than just a legend.