Narrator: Since the days of Plains and peanuts, the marriage of Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter had blossomed into a full partnership.

E. Stanly Godbold, Historian: Some time before Carter became president he realized what a valuable adviser to him Rosalynn was. She was a major player in the campaigns and she did have a good rapport with the people. She, of course, was ambitious in her own right. She wanted to be more than a fashion plate and somebody who gave teas.

Rosalynn Carter: The first year Jimmy was in office I became so frustrated. Every night Jimmy would get off the elevator at the White House and I would say, "Why did you do this?" or why did you do something? And one day he finally said, "Why don't you come to Cabinet meetings? Then you'll know why we do these things." So I started going. It was always on my calendar. And I just listened. I didn't participate. But I listened. And then I knew why the decisions were made.

Narrator: The first child to live in the White House since the Kennedy years, nine year old Amy had the run of the place. She roller skated down the marble hallways, played in a tree house her father built for her, even got a new dog, named Grits.

Doug Brinkley: She was the apple of her father's eye. President Carter hadn't spent a lot of time with his three sons when they were growing up so he tried to put a lot of attention and energy into Amy.

Narrator: In keeping with Carter's populist image, Amy was sent to public school. The media made much of the fact that her best friend was the daughter of the cook at the Chilean embassy.

Doug Brinkley: She was such a shy, intelligent girl. It was very hard, always having that media glare. And I think after the White House, she's tried her best to, stay out of the limelight.

Narrator: One Carter did not shy away from the glare of the media. Back in Plains, Billy capitalized on his brother's fame. He made money on the talk show circuit and marketed his own brand of beer. The president tolerated his brother's antics. "He enjoyed the popularity," he wrote, "and presented the other side of the Carter family, full of fun and laughter."

Narrator: In 1978 the first signs of a gathering economic storm were becoming visible. The stock market was at its lowest point in three years, the trade deficit growing, unemployment on the rise.

Carter: The most serious problem that our nation has is inflation. And it's getting worse. It's absolutely imperative that Americans commit themselves, all of us, to a common sacrifice to control this rapid increase in prices.

E. Stanly Godbold: Carter inherited a no win economic situation. I see him as the last presidential victim of the war in Vietnam. Every war this country has fought once it is over the economy has to readjust to a peacetime economy. And what always happens is runaway inflation.

Narrator: Carter implored labor and business leaders to keep wages and prices down, and pressured Congress to cutback spending. But inflation kept rising, his words falling on deaf ears.

James Laney, President of Emory University: He has this enormous determination to go after and do what he thinks ought to be done. The capacity to explain, persuade, inspire, mobilize, energize the whole country ...

Carter: I do not have all the answers nobody does.

James Laney: ... that was far more tenuous and uncertain.

Carter: But I want to let you know that fighting inflation will be a central...

James Laney: He thought people would just follow, but that didn't happen.

Carter: and I want to arouse our nation to join me in this effort...

Narrator: There were growing doubts about Carter's leadership. The president -- most Americans believed -- was too mired in details, was ineffective with Congress, had attempted too much and delivered too little.

Stuart Eizenstat, Domestic Policy Advisor: This is a classic case where first impressions often sets in with people. And the first impressions of that first year were too many things, lack of priorities, a lack of accomplishment. The fact is we actually had a good legislative record. But, we had thrown so much up that, in comparison to that, the accomplishments seemed to pale.

Rosalynn Carter: I would sometimes say, "Why don't we do this in your second term?" And he would say, "What if I don't have a second term?" And I think he felt that way the whole time that if something needed to be done, it needed to be done.

Narrator: With an approval rating of only 33 percent, Time magazine concluded, "He has the potential for growing in the office ... but he does not have a great deal of time left."