The Kennedys

It is the eve of the 1960 presidential election, and John F. Kennedy is poised to become the youngest man ever elected to office. As the Kennedys - particularly the imposing and power-hungry Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. - rally to put Jack in the White House, their difficult past illuminates a deeper struggle.

As the 1960 presidential election comes down to the wire, Bobby Kennedy tells Joe Sr. he's leaving politics. Flashbacks to John's introduction to politics - and to Jacqueline Bouvier - reveal Joe Sr.'s resolve, no matter how fraudulent, to get his son into office, and Jackie's private humiliations over Jack's infidelities.

When the Bay of Pigs invasion proves disastrous, JFK sends Jackie and the kids away, leaving him to face the consequences of his actions - his order to send guerrillas to Cuba and a one-night tryst with Judy Campbell, who is also the mistress of Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana.

The Russians build a wall separating East and West Berlin, with disastrous consequences for East Berliners. JFK releases footage of the killings of East Berliners trying to cross the barrier to the media, but his advisors want him to do more. Meanwhile, Bobby prepares to go after Chicago mobster Sam Giancana.

When Joe Sr. suffers a stroke, resentment over a past affair builds up in Rose, who attempts to be Joe's caretaker but is thwarted by his former lover. Meanwhile, riots over desegregation in the South force JFK to act and Jackie's use of amphetamines continue, stirring concern in Jack.

Jackie leaves JFK after one too many infidelities; with his marriage in shambles, Jack has to deal with an international predicament as the Cuban missile crisis threatens to bring America and Russia to the brink of war.

Jackie and JFK travel to Texas before beginning Jack's re-election campaign. As JFK prepares to mend fences between the liberal and conservative wings of the state's Democratic Party, Lee Harvey Oswald finalizes his assassination plan. All that follows plays out against the backdrop of this, the last day of Jack's life.

As the nation prepares for JFK's burial, Bobby is debilitated by suspicions that his actions may have led to Jack's assassination. Jackie and Bobby find comfort in each other's company, with Jackie urging him to return to public life. After winning the decisive California primary, Robert Kennedy is shot and killed.