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Boston, 1770. In the aftermath of the Boston Massacre, John Adams takes an unpopular stand by defending the accused soldiers. Counseled by his beloved wife, Abigail, Adams wins the case. Later, Adams is invited to join the newly created Continental Congress and says an emotional goodbye to his family before heading to Philadelphia -- and an uncertain future.

Adams reports back to Philadelphia and throws down the gauntlet for independence. As more violence rages in and around Boston, Adams nominates George Washington to lead the newly created Continental Army. Adams seconds a resolution for independence and persuades Thomas Jefferson to draft a declaration.

1777. A new period of separation from Abigail looms when Adams is appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to France along with Ben Franklin. Abigail insists that Adams take their son, John Quincy. The two endure a rough voyage -- and a skirmish with a British warship -- in making their way to France. There, the differences between Adams and Franklin become clear.

1781. Convalescing in Holland, Adams joyously learns the British surrendered to Washington at Yorktown. Returning to France to secure commerce with other nations, Adams sends for Abigail, and the two reunite in his opulent mansion in Paris. Also arriving is Jefferson, who suffered a catastrophic loss with the deaths of his wife and daughter in the same year.

Elected America's first VP, Adams is frustrated by his exclusion from Washington's inner circle. He also sees his friendship with Jefferson, the Secretary of State, strained by the British-French conflict. Though he's vilified for casting an unpopular swing vote in the Senate that ratifies a US-British treaty, Adams ends up being elected President in 1796.

Abandoned by Jefferson for retaining Washington's cabinet, President Adams holds firm on keeping the nation out of war, despite French aggression and pro-war sentiment among his advisors. Abigail urges him to sign the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts, seeing them as a way to preserve domestic security. Meanwhile, Adams faces a crisis at home.

In retirement, Adams starts writing his memoirs, then endures a series of tragedies when his daughter dies of cancer and, a few years later, Abigail succumbs to typhoid fever. At the urging of Dr. Rush, Adams reports the sad news to Jefferson, with the two old friends and adversaries taking solace in a correspondence that mends old wounds.