In A Christmas Carol, the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited on Christmas Eve by three spectral guides who lead him through the shadows of his past, present, and future--a journey that transforms his soul and forever changes the way the world celebrates Christmas. In The Chimes, Dickens turns his compassion toward the poor and forgotten, telling the story of Toby Veck, a humble messenger who, despairing of humanity's cruelty, is visited by the spirits of the church bells.