In Braintree, Massachusetts, in November 1775, Abigail Adams is grieving her mother’s recent death. Her sister, Elizabeth, convinces her to attend a dinner hosted by Colonel Quincy, arguing it is her duty as a delegate’s wife. There, she meets Dr. Benjamin Franklin, who gives her a bundle of letters from John. Franklin confesses that he persuaded John to remain at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia rather than return home to comfort her. During the meal, Franklin is impressed by Abigail’s knowledge of the local situation and invites her to spend the winter in Philadelphia, but she demurs, leaving the decision up to John. Later, comforted by John’s letters, Abigail reads Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, Common Sense. John considers the work “an ignorant, malicious, short-sighted, crapulous mass” (77) and responds with his own pamphlet, Thoughts on Government, which outlines different branches of government that keep each other in check. Ultimately, though, the argument for severing ties with Britain resonates with Abigail, and she writes to John, urging him to fight for a new nation.

By March 1776, the British are fleeing Boston, and an optimistic Abigail writes to John, urging him to “remember the ladies” (79) in the new code of laws, warning that women might rebel if left without a