John Knox Kerr, a Scot is transplanted to New York City is one of the busiest men in America, serving FDR during the week and the congregation of Park Avenue Presbyterian Church on Sundays. As he becomes ever more famous, he is acquiring ever more challenges – four quandaries as he puts it.

LIFE HISTORY
Born: Leeds, England, 1896
Occupation: Pastor
Challenge: To maintain balance, perspective, and relationships amid the myriad realities of World War II.
Quote: “How do I become less dependent on Julia without being hurtful or ungrateful for all she has meant to me?”

Using her initials (JEFF) to move past the male-dominated power structure dominant in the 1940s, this brilliant daughter of one of the most influential designers in naval history, encounters new and dangerous challenges behind German lines in World War II. She is the first female member of the Office of Strategic Services, forerunner to the CIA.

The war years challenge her in every way and threaten to derail her relationship with John. Is she JEFF – the driven OSS member? Or is she Lis, the woman who loves to play with John's children and to hold his hand while they watch movies?

LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Born: Berlin, Germany, 14 July 1902
Occupation: Triple agent ultimately working for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)
Challenges: The male-dominated power elite in Washington, the sinister forces of the Axis powers, and the plight of the Jews of Europe, for which she has grave concern.
Quote: “The evil perpetrated by Adolf Hitler and his band of degenerates is beyond comprehension. Why does that seem to be so lost on FDR and his generals?”

Julia, now an aging widow, struggles with a loss of hope as she realizes that a fulfilling, intimate relationship is likely to elude her. Her complex relationship with the Rev. John Knox Kerr offers a form of intimacy that cannot extend beyond the closed doors of the Providence Place library. The reality haunts her despite an impressive public persona.

LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Born: Boston, Massachusetts, 10 August 10 1880
Occupation: Adams Family Scion, Grandmother, Church Leader
Challenge: Finding her way as a widow in her sixties who is still in love with the father of her grandchildren.
Quote: “'You know, I really think the two of you ought to spend more time together,' said Julia, glancing toward Anne and me.”

The extraordinarily gifted Anne Bradford is beloved by all, not merely for her talent, wealth, and beauty, but also for her kindness, generosity, and relentless interest in the welfare of others. Now a widow, she refuses to use her many talents to draw attention to herself. In John Knox Kerr's words, she is “almost too good to be true.”

LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Born: Boston, Massachusetts, 14 February 1901
Occupation: National chairperson, Victory Servicemen's Clubs
Challenge: Finding ways to leverage her myriad talents in support of the war effort … and to define her relationship with John Knox Kerr.
Quote: “‘Tongues will wag if the two of us have dinner alone in New York City,’ said Anne. ‘But I doubt anyone in Washington will notice or care.’”

The challenges have never been greater for President Roosevelt. A truly global war demands his ever last ounce of energy and resolve. He needs divine help – and knows it – frequently turning to Reverend John Kerr for private counsel in addition to John's role as his Undersecretary of State for Communication

LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Born: Hyde Park, New York, 30 January 1882
Occupation: Longest-serving President of the United States of America
Challenge: To restore peace and virtue to the world by leading the Allies to victory over the Axis powers.
Quote: “In the days and in the years that are to come we shall work for a just and honorable peace, a durable peace, as today we work and fight for total victory in war. We can and we will achieve such a peace. We may make mistakes – but they must never be mistakes which result from faintness of heart or abandonment of moral principle."– Fourth Inaugural Address, 20 January 1945

Dr. James R. Grace is the host and featured speaker on the national weekly radio broadcast, “The Grace Hour.” The program, aired live from the Manhattan Beach Civic Auditorium, is carried by more radio stations than any other program in the world. Dr. Grace is also taking on the role of John's spiritual advisor, a role vacant since the death of Martin Wagner.

LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Born: Fullerton, California, 12 March 1887
Occupation: Radio evangelist and Bible teacher
Challenge: A busy schedule with heavy ministry demands.
Quote: “To know the Word of God, to live the Word of God, to preach the Word, to teach the Word, is the sum of all wisdom, the heart of all Christian service.”

As the darkness in Germany spills over into the rest of Western Europe, Dr. Hans Bilder and the Sacramental Church are under increasing pressure from the Nazis. Unlike the Lutheran hierarchy in Germany, they have been unwilling to declare allegiance to the machinations of Third Reich. It will cost Dr. Bilder everything to remain faithful to God and His Word.

LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Born: Breslau, Kingdom of Prussia, 4 February 1906
Occupation: Leader of the Sacramental Church and part of a secret group plotting to kill Adolf Hitler
Challenge: The spritiual and moral offenses of Adolf Hitler
Quote: “It can never be good, however, to deceive yourself about the truth, for if we deceive ourselves about the truth of our own life, we will certainly also deceive ourselves about the truth of God. And it’s certainly never godly to close our eyes – which God gave us so that we can see our neighbors and their needs – when they have to see sadness and horror. It is certainly never right, therefore, to avoid the things that frighten us and depress us.”

“Never give in – never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense,” said England’s Prime Minister. Mr. Churchill's decisive leadership is England's hope for defeating Nazi Germany. His dogged leadership, interwoven with FDR's, makes for compelling reading. Be prepared to catch more glimpses of this giant that you may not seen before.

LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Born: Blenheim, Oxfordshire, England, 30 November 1874
Occupation: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Challenge: To mobilize the British Empire, in concert with the United States of America and the Soviet Union to defeat the Axis powers.
Quote: “The Germans have received back again that measure of fire and steel which they have so often meted out to others. Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

Reggie's quick tongue and frequently inappropriate sense of humor increasingly grates on his West Wing colleagues. As hints of his latent anti-Semitism surface, his character, role, and agenda are questioned. Is he for us or against us? John, for one, is not sure.

LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Born: Hastings, East Sussex, England, 31 October 1895
Occupation: Radio strategist for President Roosevelt
Challenges: Impatience with his American colleagues; conflicting loyalties; womanizing; anti-Semitism.
Quote: “I’m just making an observation: the Jews have controlled lending in Germany – and most of Europe, for that matter, forever. Who can blame German businessmen for being tired of their usurious behavior?”

The reluctant first lady of the United States is making peace with her role. Challenged by FDR's latest female diversion, Princess Märtha of Sweden, Eleanor's reputation soars after her speech to the Democrat's national convention in 1940. Not wanting to appear too eager for an unprecedented third term, her husband sent her in his stead. She stole the show. Her influence and impact will continue growing.

LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Born: New York City, 11 October 1884
Occupation: Surrogate for her husband … and rising to become the only rival to his influence.
Challenge: To have an impact on a very troubled world, with or without the help of her husband.
Quote: “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'”

The butler and master of Providence Place, Dobbs remains fiercely loyal to Julia and, even though sometimes critical of her liaisons with John, will not abide criticism of her. He is a man driven by duty and honor.

LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Born: Brooklyn, New York, 23 October 1880
Occupation: Butler, Providence Place
Challenge: To find grace amid the seriousness of his duties in service.
Quote: “I would remind you that Julia Adams Fairchild Vandermeer has outlived two husbands, neither of which was worthy of her.”

JAK, the firstborn child of John Knox Kerr and his late mother, Elizabeth, desperately wants a mother in his life. He believes Lis will be his new mother, which is just fine with him. But what if it is Anne, instead? With his father as busy as he is – and no mother to nurture him – he quietly is struggling more and more.

LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Born: New York City, 7 December 1933
Occupation: Lonely son of John Knox Kerr
Challenges: Growing up without the close precence or guidance of his father … and no mother.
Quote: “JAK needs to grow up a bit. You can’t be a man of the house if you are always complaining about the shortcomings of the place.” (spoken by his father, John Knox Kerr)

Abigail is now a little girl, full of energy and creative sparks, but often downcast and sad. She longs for a mother and has never bonded with her grandmother, Julia. She loves Lis and misses her greatly when she is away at war, and cannot wait to show her how good she has become at piano.

LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Born: New York City, 4 July 1937
Occupation: Daughter of Rev. John Knox Kerr; little girl
Challenges: Growing up without a mother in an overwhelming New York mansion.
Quote: “I wish I could get through to her, but for every good moment we have together, there are three or four not-so-good moments. I’ve failed her.” (spoken by her grandmother, Julia Adams)