Ten North Frederick

In April 1945, a radio reporter describes the funeral of distinguished attorney Joseph Chapin outside the Chapin address in Gibbsville. Edith delivers the eulogy while mourners listen, and Ann watches and recalls Joe's fiftieth birthday celebration from five years earlier. The scene sets up a contrast between public reverence and private turmoil within the Chapin family.

In a flashback to Joe's fiftieth birthday, the family celebrates while tensions simmer beneath the surface. Joby has been expelled from boarding school and longs to pursue jazz, threatening the family’s reputation. Edith uses wealth and social influence to bolster Joe’s bid for Lieutenant Governor, weaving ambition into the celebration.

Joby’s expulsion from boarding school marks a turning point as he declares his dream of becoming a jazz musician. Edith worries about public perception and tries to shield the family from scandal. Joe remains entangled in the mounting pressure of politics and reputation.

Edith harnesses wealth, connections, and social influence to push Joe toward the Lieutenant Governor race. She pressures party leaders and donors, aiming for a favorable outcome despite looming opposition. The campaign machinery begins to strain family bonds.

Ann secretly marries trumpet player Charley Bongiorno, who had seduced and impregnated her. The marriage is kept hidden to protect Joe’s political prospects and the family’s reputation. The wedding becomes a pawn in the larger political game.

Power broker Mike Slattery and district attorney Lloyd Williams intervene, threatening to charge Charley with statutory rape unless he accepts a bribe and an annulment. They leverage the threat to extract concessions and control the outcome of the marriage. The scandal becomes a tool in intra-party bargaining.

Ann suffers a miscarriage and, upon learning that Joe condoned the deal, she leaves home for New York City. The personal cost of political maneuvering pushes the family further apart. The loss compounds the strain on Ann and her relationship to her father.

Fearing the political fallout, party leaders refuse to back Joe and he withdraws from the race. Edith reacts with dismay as the campaign collapses around them. The dream of public success dissolves into disappointment and resentment.

Edith reveals she once had an affair with Lloyd and bitterly claims she wasted her life ministering to a failure. The confession exposes the cost of ambition and the fractures caused by secrets. The revelation adds emotional weight to the family’s already fragile dynamics.

On a business trip, Joe meets Ann's roommate Kate Drummond and the two begin a romantic relationship. They go on a weekend getaway, and Joe presents Kate with a ruby, a Chapin family heirloom. The affair becomes a rare moment of happiness in Joe’s otherwise troubled life.

Kate’s friends mistake Joe for Kate’s father, underscoring their significant age difference. Joe realizes he cannot sustain the relationship and ends the affair. He confronts the limits of desire within his fading health.

Joe’s alcoholism worsens and his health declines as he refuses medical treatment. Ann returns home, learning her father is dying, and asks him about Kate. He hints at Kate’s destiny and the complicated happiness they shared.

Just before he dies, Joe realizes the man Kate loves is himself, recognizing that he briefly found happiness with her. Ann processes the revelation as she confronts her father’s life and the costs of his choices. The moment reframes Joe’s life as a story of longing and hidden happiness.

At Joe’s funeral, Joby accuses Slattery of betrayal and Edith of bearing responsibility for Joe’s decline. The confrontation lays bare the fault lines between personal betrayal and political machinations. The final moments of the ceremony become a reckoning for the Chapin family.

Just before Kate’s wedding, Ann helps her pack and finds the ruby. She realizes Joe was Kate’s true love and that he had found a measure of happiness in his final years. The ruby becomes a tangible link between Joe’s past, Kate, and the life he could have shared.