John Adams: Reunion

1781. Convalescing in Holland, Adams joyously learns the British surrendered to Washington at Yorktown. The Dutch, unwilling to part with their money during the war, now generously open their pockets to Adams and America. 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. Both Jefferson and Abigail fall under Paris' healing spell, attending opera and luxuriating in the city's intoxicating lifestyle. But a missive from America sends Adams to London as the nation's first Ambassador to Britain, while Jefferson replaces Franklin in Paris. In London, Adams has a memorable meeting with King George III, in which the King recognizes the friendship of the United States as an independent nation. With a new federal government about to be elected in America, Adams and Abigail finally return to Boston, where Adams is given a hero's welcome while reconnecting with his children. In Braintree, Adams deals with a few family concerns—including son Charles' debauched behavior at Harvard, John Quincy's courtship of a young woman, and the overtures being made by his aide, Col. William Smith, towards Adams' daughter Nabby. Though he vows to remain providentially unemployed, Adams soon realizes that he and Abigail weren't meant to sit in the shade of life. The election of the first U.S. president and vice-president is at hand—and Adams will again be putting his private life on hold.