When rumor of Michael's existence reaches the National Mirror, washed-up journalist Frank Quinlan smells a page-one scoop. True or not, it's his job to track down this alleged angel, and bring him back to Chicago in time for Christmas. But his fiesty boss won't let him go alone. He sends Quinlan on assignment with angel expert Dorothy Winters and Huey Driscoll, another jaded reporter who would have been canned years ago had he not rescued Sparky, a mongrel that has become famous as the paper's prized mascot. As the trio travels to Iowa, each believes the trip is a colossal hoax until they come face-to-feather with Michael. He smells like cookies, acts like a playboy and tosses off miracles when everyone least expects them. As Quinlan and Dorothy search for the incontrovertible proof they need not to believe in Michael, Michael sets out against all odds to get Dorothy and Quinlan to believe in each other.