Arnold Schwartzenegger stars as Howard Langston, an overworked mattress salesman who has been neglecting his family of late; in an attempt to redeem himself, he promises his son whatever he wants for Christmas. Turns out that his heart's desire is a TurboMan doll, coveted by every other kid this year as well, and Howard quickly forgets about his promise until Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, all the stores are already sold out, and Howard embarks upon a wild goose chase throughout the streets of Minneapolis, encountering some wacky characters along the way. These include a postal worker of questionable sanity (Sinbad), a ticket-happy police officer (Robert Conrad), and a con-artist Santa Claus (James Belushi). As Howard's hunt drags on, his bachelor neighbor (Phil Hartman) starts to move in on his wife (Rita Wilson).