Just as Jefferson is sworn in as the governor of the new state of Virginia, war arrives on his doorstep. As an intellectual with no military background, he struggles to protect himself and his constituents in the face of British attacks. After a disastrous tenure as governor, Jefferson retires from politics only to face public humiliation and personal tragedy.

After the tragic loss of his wife, Jefferson is sent to Paris where he thrives personally and politically. While there, he begins an entanglement with an enslaved teenager that will shape the next 40 years of his life. Upon his return to the U.S., President George Washington appoints Jefferson as the country’s first Secretary of State where he finds himself in a bitter rivalry with the Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton.

After a dirty fight, Jefferson wins the presidency against his former friend, John Adams. He spends the next 8 years defining the tenets of the executive office and more than doubling the size of the country.

Jefferson’s retirement is fraught with controversy. While consumed in debts he cannot repay, he fights to perpetuate his legacy as America’s Founding Father and the Apostle of Liberty. But in the wake of his death, truths about his life have forced Americans to reconsider his place in history.