In Hyde Park, Eleanor rushes into a formal dinner at Springwood after a long day directing women’s activities for Al Smith’s presidential campaign. She notes her exhaustion and reliance on her new assistant, Miss Malvina Thompson, but relishes the historic work mobilizing women voters.

Conversation turns to the boys’ summer plans. Franklin proposes estate projects, but Sara counters, invoking Franklin’s childhood and pushing for the boys’ leisure. Eleanor suggests channeling the boys’ energy into campaign work, prompting Sara’s sharp objection about the “riffraff” at headquarters. Nan defuses the tension with humor, briefly uniting the table.

A maid announces a telephone call for Sara; it’s Governor Smith, but he has asked to speak to Franklin. The family exchanges uneasy glances, wary that Smith might press Franklin to campaign despite his paralysis and the household’s mixed feelings. Sara voices concern about Franklin’s readiness, while Eleanor privately admits she doesn’t want to be a politician’s wife again.

Franklin returns to disclose that Smith asked him to deliver the nominating speech at the Democratic National Convention in Texas, and he has agreed. Eleanor, Nan, and Sara immediately understand the subtext: Smith is positioning Franklin for a gubernatorial run in New York. Eleanor registers the looming shift for the family and her own reluctant role if Franklin reenters public life.