Herman Levin, anticipating a promotion at work, takes his family to look at a house in an upwardly mobile neighborhood, though Bess is wary of leaving the safety of their tight-knit Jewish community and raising a family amid growing anti-Semitism sparked by Lindbergh's ascendancy. As the family spinster, her sister Evelyn has a disappointing rendezvous with a married lover, but later, finds herself charmed by a distinguished local clergyman, Rabbi Lionel Bengelsdorf. Meanwhile, getting an earful from Herman for being fired from his job, his orphaned nephew, Alvin Levin seeks retaliation for an aggrieved friend.
Lindbergh's increasingly popular campaign sweeps through the United States and captures some in the Levin family as well as Bengelsdorf, with Evelyn as his assistant and lover, becoming a fundamental asset in the Lindbergh camp, while Sandy, enamored of the aviator's charm, celebrity, and history, begins a rebellion of his own within the family of New Deal Democrats. Meanwhile, Alvin brings his pride and conscience to bear as he must decide between serving a local real estate magnate and developer or risking an open fight with the fascist forces he sees spreading across the world.
In the early days of the Lindbergh administration, Herman decides the family will continue with their planned trip to Washington, D.C., despite Bess' desire to visit Canada, where Jewish families are emigrating. After paying a visit to Evelyn, Sandy shows interest in an assimilation program targeting Jewish youth and spearheaded by Bengelsdorf. In London, Alvin stands out during his military training and is selected for a special mission.
Evelyn and Bengelsdorf receive an invitation from Mrs. Lindbergh to a state dinner for Nazi Germany's foreign minister, as Evelyn makes Sandy the face of the youth assimilation program. Back from war, Alvin takes a job at his uncle's warehouse. Philip is traumatized by a death in the neighborhood.
After learning the family has been selected for an essentially forced relocation to Kentucky under the Homestead Act, Herman looks to make a challenge in court, while Bess and Philip appeal to Bengelsdorf and Evelyn, respectively. Later, Bess gives Herman an ultimatum when violence breaks out at a rally for Lindbergh's most public liberal challenger.
As riots and conspiracies spread across the country in the lead up to Election Day, Herman takes measures to keep his family safe. Meanwhile, Bess does all she can at a great distance to help a small child caught in a maelstrom of anti-Semitism in Kentucky. Alvin is recruited for a new and secret mission as the ties that bind the Levins together are stressed.
Creators David Simon and Ed Burns and the cast discuss why the time was right to adapt Philip Roth's cautionary novel.
A behind-the-scenes look with the cast and crew.
