Summary

In January 1961, John F. Kennedy becomes the 35th president of the United States, inheriting a world embroiled in the Cold War and facing challenges such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the escalating conflict in Vietnam. His presidency is marked by both triumph and tragedy, including surviving near-death experiences and suffering the profound loss of his infant son, Patrick.

Simultaneously, Lee Harvey Oswald, a former U.S. Marine, grows increasingly disillusioned with life in the Soviet Union, where he defected in 1959. Oswald returns to the United States with his Soviet wife, Marina, and their daughter, June, settling in Texas, where his communist sympathies intensify.

As Kennedy's presidency progresses, he and his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, champion civil rights amidst intense opposition in the Deep South. At the same time, the president faces growing tensions with Fidel Castro, Nikita Khrushchev, and the American Mafia.

Oswald's life takes a dark turn as he becomes increasingly isolated and fixated on making a significant impact on the world. He purchases a rifle and begins plotting an assassination attempt, ultimately targeting President Kennedy.

Oswald assassinates President Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963. The nation mourns the loss of its charismatic leader, while Oswald himself is killed shortly after by Jack Ruby. The assassination marks the end of an era of hope and optimism, forever changing the course of American history.