Near Princeton, New Jersey, at the end of the American Revolutionary War, Alexander Hamilton, who has been serving as an officer and aide-de-camp to George Washington, watches as Washington delivers his Farewell Address to the Army, promising that the new nation will pay the soldiers who fought for independence. Soon after, Hamilton voices a pressing concern: how will that promise be fulfilled when the thirteen former colonies, now states, each craft its own trade practices and currencies?
As the new Constitution takes shape and Washington serves as the nation’s first President with Hamilton as his Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton faces stern opposition from Anti-Federalists like Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, who fear a strong central government and worry about Hamilton’s ideas for a national bank and an Assumption Bill to absorb state debts. In a Philadelphia tavern, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and the French diplomat and statesman Count Talleyrand spar over these issues, with Talleyrand defending Hamilton’s positions and his honor. Jefferson explains to Monroe that he hopes Hamilton’s support can help anchor a new capital city that won’t be located in the North, paving the way for a political compromise.
Meanwhile, Hamilton shares his convictions with his wife, Betsy Hamilton, whom he deeply loves, and with his father-in-law, Philip Schuyler, a former general and now Senator from New York. When Betsy sails to England to care for an ailing sister, Senator Timothy Roberts, a fictional disgruntled veteran, hatches a plan to undermine public trust in Hamilton. Schuyler urges Hamilton about a Residence Bill, and the two men maneuver to secure a Potomac location for the capital while advancing Hamilton’s National Bank and the Assumption Bill.
That evening, a young mother with a baby seeks help from Hamilton, and he offers her food and money, saving her from immediate hardship. The woman is Maria Reynolds, who will later become entangled in a web of personal and political pressure. When Betsy returns, a delegation including Jefferson and Monroe arrives to press accusations that Hamilton helped Reynolds financially; Hamilton denies any improper dealings with Reynolds, but he reveals the affair with Maria Reynolds and then chooses to reveal it to his wife and the guests. Betsy contemplates leaving, and Maria Reynolds urges forgiveness, but the political storm continues to loom. A large delegation eventually informs Hamilton that his broader policy goals are not defeated: Jefferson confirms that Hamilton’s integrity has helped secure the capital plan and the country’s financial framework, signaling a future of prosperity built on honesty and resolve.
