On the last day of Christmas term at Abbey Grove, drama teacher Stephen stages his own funeral to hear what the school will say about him when he leaves for his new job in a pantomime. But he is shocked to encounter the ghost of Alfie, who tells him he will be visited by three ghosts to show him the error of his ways. Alfie wants Stephen to care about teaching more than he ever did; but his happiness depends on the lessons he learns that night, when Stephen has an important decision to make about his career at Abbey Grove.