America's elder statesman, Benjamin Franklin, descends on Paris to seduce the French to join the fight against their common enemy, England. British General William Howe delivers a crushing blow to George Washington's troops at the Battle of Brandywine taking Philadelphia, the American capital, as his prize. But to the north, another American general enters the spotlight--Horatio Gates defeats British General John Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga. It is this victory that convinces France to enter the fight, turning the American Revolution into a world war.