Touchée par les conséquences de la Grande Dépression sur le pays, Eleanor presse Franklin d'agir avec plus d'audace et fait pression pour obtenir un poste officiel sans précédent dans l'administration, tout en participant à la rédaction de son discours inaugural. Après la démission de Nixon, Jerry accède à la présidence et Betty devient Première Dame quelques jours avant un important dîner d'État, que le personnel de Jerry tente d'annuler. Dans les jours qui précèdent l'investiture de Barack, Michelle est confrontée à l'opposition des membres de son équipe de transition qui prévoient de réduire son rôle.

Eleanor moves Hick into an adjacent bedroom in the White House while Franklin has the FBI surveil her actions. Inspired by her growing influence and popularity, Betty steers a White House campaign office to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which aggravates Jerry’s staff who worry about a conservative challenge for the upcoming Republican Party presidential nomination. Michelle pushes Barack to take a firm moral stand in favor of marriage equality over his political concerns about losing re-election.

After African-American opera singer Marian Anderson is banned from performing for the Daughters of the American Revolution, Eleanor leaves the group and doubles down on her efforts to confront racism. Betty’s popularity helps Jerry secure the Republican nomination for re-election, but her growing problems with addiction threaten the family and her health. After gun violence tragedies hit both the national stage and her own childhood neighborhood, Michelle grieves with Barack and advocates for legislative action.

Dissatisfied with Franklin’s complacency over growing international atrocities in Europe, Eleanor forces his hand to assist Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. Having retired to Palm Springs, Jerry plans to keep active across the country, which leaves Betty to seek out new party companions at home. Despite Barack’s political hesitations, Michelle refuses to stay quiet on racially driven violence any longer while writing her commencement address for Tuskegee University.