In April 1789, John Adams is elected the first Vice President of the United States but is insulted that he received only half the votes of President George Washington. Abigail gently chides his wounded pride and agrees to join him in the new capital, New York City, after she finishes managing their Braintree farm. They arrange for Charles, who has developed a reputation for misbehavior at Harvard, to study law in New York under the promising Alexander Hamilton. After several months of work on the farm, Abigail and Charles travel to New York. They are welcomed by their daughter Nabby to a grand new home on Richmond Hill.

Abigail is immediately immersed in the capital’s social life, where she is reunited with Angelica Church, who introduces her to Mrs. Alexander Hamilton. John informs her that President Washington is gravely ill, making the new government’s stability feel precarious. Abigail and Nabby visit the President’s wife, Martha Washington, who has established a formal social schedule, hosting public receptions, or levees, on Friday nights and assigning Abigail to host similar gatherings on Mondays. Moments later, Abigail is received by the President himself. Washington later visits Richmond Hill, where he kindly gives sugar plums to her grandsons and impresses her.