Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

Sunrise at Campobello is the story of Franklin D. Roosevelt's (FDR) battle against polio, which strikes him in the summer of 1921 as the play opens. The scene is set at the Roosevelt summer home at Campobello, New Brunswick, Canada. As dusk nears, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt is calling her five children in from an afternoon of swimming and outdoor fun. Her husband, (FDR) has played alongside his children with enthusiasm all day.

As the family awaits dinner, the children discuss which parts they will read in the play Julius Caesar, this evening's family entertainment. There is also discussion about their beloved grandmother Sara, who is traveling in London but has sent a letter encouraging them in their French lessons. Glancing through the evening newspaper, FDR is glad that his name is missing for a change but comments on the rampant unemployment under...