On May 14, 1933, Mary and Eleanor cancel their schedules and work through meals at the White House to align on policy. They compile urgent needs for Black Americans and match them to New Deal programs, settling on four goals: immediate relief for families, job creation explicitly apportioned for Black workers, support for the Costigan-Wagner anti-lynching bill, and appointing Black advisers across agencies.

Eleanor notes that relief and jobs can be funded through existing programs, but warns that Southern Democrats will oppose explicit racial provisions. Mary argues discrimination is systemic and will not fade with prosperity alone. Eleanor explains Franklin Roosevelt’s belief that economic recovery reduces prejudice, and they agree to prioritize appointments so Black advisers can press the case from within.

The shared planning brings optimism and laughter, but the mood shifts when Eleanor confides the lasting pain of Franklin’s long affair with Lucy Mercer, discovered through letters and enabled by relatives like Alice Roosevelt Longworth. Eleanor describes feeling betrayed by both husband and friend and isolated by the silence of their circle.

Mary reciprocates with her own story: returning from a trip to find her husband, Albertus, in bed with a trusted teacher. She expelled him that night and later chose forgiveness—not forgetting—to release bitterness and heal. This exchange of wounds and hard-won lessons strengthens their bond and affirms their joint purpose.