A United States minister, senator, president, and congressman in turn, John Quincy Adams was one of the most prevalent and dedicated Americans in history.

Paul Nagel probes deeply into the psyche of this cantankerous, misanthropic, erudite, hardworking man to finally portray him in all his talent and complexity.

We learn about his passionate marriage to Louisa Johnson, his personal tragedies, his frustration with political life, the pleasure he drew from being a writer, critic, translator, botanist, and professor of oratory at Harvard, his recurring depression, exasperating behavior, and brilliant diplomacy.