In a world ruled by patronage and privilege, a young postal clerk with unique skills, integrity, and tireless work ethic, catches the attention of powerful men in Washington DC - beginning a rise through the machinery of American power, not by connections, but by merit.

Now Private Secretary to President McKinley, Cortelyou proves indispensable during the Spanish-American War. But his resolve is truly tested when McKinley is shot by an assassin at the World’s Fair in Buffalo, NY, despite Cortelyou’s attempts to cancel the event due to its high risk. New inventions are used to aid the president, such as Thomas Edison’s “X-Ray,” but to no avail. As the country reels from McKinley’s death, Cortelyou holds the government - and the grieving First Lady - together.

With Theodore Roosevelt’s sudden rise to the presidency, Cortelyou becomes the stabilizing force behind the most energetic administration in history. From modernizing the White House to managing the southern backlash after the president dines with Black leader Booker T. Washington. And when her father unexpectedly became president, the spirited teenage Alice Roosevelt moved into the White House with her new celebrity status, attracts public attention for her rebellious behavior. 

Roosevelt takes on JP Morgan and America’s most powerful monopoly in the Supreme Court. Cortelyou is tapped to build a new arm of government from scratch. The First Lady oversees the modernization and expansion of the White House, including the additions of the East and West Wings. Meanwhile, President Roosevelt spends several days camping in California’s Yosemite Valley with famed conservationist John Muir - setting the stage for America’s expansion of the National Park System.

Cortelyou reluctantly agrees to manage Roosevelt’s 1904 reelection campaign. Though a man of deep integrity, he becomes the subject of press smears for accepting donations from big business. Adding to the fire, Cortelyou is offended by the President’s insinuations and makes it known to TR: “Everything you write down goes to history.” Meanwhile, TR’s daughter Alice gets married at the White House with hundreds of nation’s elite - making it the social event of the year.

Lilly Cortelyou and Edith Roosevelt’s shared concerns over immigration policy come to a head when Edith’s visit to Ellis Island exposes the invasive questioning of women arrivals by male staff. Meanwhile, Cortelyou, once a postal clerk, is now appointed Postmaster General and takes to modernize a vast, aging system. He streamlines operations, champions the use of automobiles, and mentors a struggling young clerk in need of second chances.

As the economy wobbles under the weight of reckless speculation and unchecked corporate trusts, a full-blown panic erupts on Wall Street in October 1907. A run on the banks spreads nationwide. There’s no Federal Reserve, no deposit insurance - just fear and collapsing confidence. While Roosevelt is away, Cortelyou, now Secretary of the Treasury, meets with J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and other financial titans. Just as Cortelyou’s star shines brighter than ever, his nine year old daughter, Hazel, dies suddenly from diphtheria.