Elected America's first Vice President, Adams is frustrated when President Washington excludes him from his inner circle. Furthermore, his friendship with Jefferson, the new Secretary of State, is put under strain by the ongoing British-French conflict.
Though he's vilified for casting an unpopular swing vote in the Senate that ratifies a treaty between the US and Britain, Adams ends up being elected President in 1796 - by a mere three votes over Jefferson.
But Abigail soon finds herself trying to rally her husband out of a melancholy brought on by the burdens of the presidency - and the nation's uncertain future.
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