The new Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord finds herself immediately faced with a maelstrom of difficult political challenges with an international hostage situation being her most important challenge.

Elizabeth has to deal with a crisis in Yemen and there's trouble on the home front for her as well after her oldest daughter Stevie manages to make the headlines for protesting a new policy at her university.

Elizabeth is confronted by a hostile reporter who threatens to publish confidential documents that were leaked from inside the State Department. Later, Henry is dragged into an international negotiation when his wife uses his job as leverage to broker a deal with Pakistan.

While Elizabeth works to successfully broker a peace treaty between China and Japan, a Chinese student seeking political asylum threatens the deal. Meanwhile, tensions rise at home between Alison and Stevie during Alison's sleepover party.

When Elizabeth faces the daunting task of negotiating with Iran over their escalating nuclear program, she is determined to deal with the situation in a peaceful manner, despite the President's position of using military action. Meanwhile, Jason has new admiration for his father when he interviews him for a school report.

Elizabeth faces unexpected consequences when she makes a plea to the President to help with a dire situation in Western Africa.

When Elizabeth brings Alison with her to India on her first state department trip abroad she's thrown into crisis mode when a massive earthquake hits that causes an explosion at an American-owned factory, and she's separated from Alison during the chaos.

When the President approves Henry's reactivation into the NSA, he decides to keep his continued involvement in the spy game a secret from Elizabeth. Meanwhile, Matt and Daisy's antagonism toward one another begins to affect the entire office.

Elizabeth, Henry, and Isabelle investigate a plane crash that killed former Secretary of State Vincent Marsh. Nadine reenters the dating scene after she agrees to go on a date with a NASA scientist.

When the State Department goes on lockdown due to a deranged gunman outside the building, Elizabeth is confined with a delegation from Iraq whose translator threatens to reveal damaging information about her actions while in the CIA. Meanwhile, when Matt is stuck in an office with Daisy’s fiancé, Win, he spills information that he shouldn’t have.

Elizabeth, Henry, and Isabelle work together to find former Secretary of State Vincent Marsh’s secret bank account, but soon uncover that one of Elizabeth’s staff members already has access to it.

When a Texas state trooper is killed by a Mexican cartel smuggler, Elizabeth arranges an extradition deal before going on vacation to celebrate her 25th wedding anniversary in New York City. However, when political issues arise around the case, she is forced to cut their trip short. Also, Elizabeth’s son injures himself while Blake is watching him.

Elizabeth pushes for the prosecution of a Bahraini diplomat after he is caught holding a maid hostage in his home. Also, Henry's father comes to visit.

Elizabeth is humiliated at a public budget hearing when her staff fails to find the corruption that exists in her microloan program. Also, the investigation into Marsh's death continues.

While Elizabeth seeks a diplomatic solution to a doomsday cult in Bolivia, a congressman attempting to negotiate with its leader is taken hostage. Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Henry meet Stevie’s much older boyfriend.

Elizabeth and President Dalton work together to solve the Greek debt crisis, but not everyone at home is happy with the agreement. Meanwhile, Henry mulls over a new job offer, and Stevie reconnects with her childhood friend, the President’s son.

While Henry is in Russia giving a lecture on fundamentalism, Elizabeth must navigate tricky political waters when a Russian nuclear submarine vanishes in American waters. Also, Stevie breaks up with her older boyfriend.

As Elizabeth prepares for the arrival of Iranian President Shiraz to sign a nuclear treaty, she uncovers a top secret plot to assassinate him on United States soil. At the same time, she must deal with a massive protest by the Human Rights Campaign in response to Iran’s plans to stone a gay citizen to death. Also, Elizabeth sees a therapist to deal with her PTSD.

When Elizabeth confronts her former friend Juliet, she flashes back to when then-CIA Director Dalton offered her a job that would have changed the course of her life. Also, Stevie and President Dalton’s son, Harrison (Jason Ralph), begin a relationship that will have consequences.

The President’s plane is declared missing and Elizabeth is thrust into a situation of power she never imagined possible. Also, Henry butts heads with his new Defense Intelligence Agency handler, Jane Fellows, when he’s asked to recruit one of his Russian students for the NSA.

Elizabeth takes advice from former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and ignores President Dalton's recommendation on how to negotiate the safe return of a Sate Department employee who was kidnapped in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Henry is having trouble persuading a student to spy for the U.S. government.

Elizabeth and President Dalton’s administration are met with hostility while trying to deal with the Russian government. Also, Dmitri is kidnapped and interrogated about being a Russian spy.

Elizabeth finds herself pushed out of the President's inner circle after she disagrees with his response to the growing tension with Russia. Also, when incriminating photos of Stevie and Harrison surface, Elizabeth and Henry must deal with the aftermath and try to protect their daughter from the media.

In the wake of President Ostrov’s death, Elizabeth and President Dalton fear a power grab within the Russian government. Also, the government’s Cybersecurity Coordinator Oliver Shaw works to identify the hacker who interfered with the communication system on Air Force One, and Jay devises a plan to fight Russian propaganda.

After an American aid worker is killed in Syria by the first known American ISIS leader, Elizabeth recalls all aid workers stationed there, including her brother, and makes it her mission to get justice for the victim. Henry is conflicted when Dmitri asks for help saving Ivan, who has been called back to Moscow.

With the support of President Dalton, Elizabeth attempts to get the Senate's support for a history-making effort to lift the Cuban trade embargo. Also, Henry and Alison bond while touring Havana together.

Elizabeth tries to salvage a peace deal with Russia after an unexpected turn of events threatens to dissolve the agreement. Also, Elizabeth gets dragged into dealing with an emergency situation aboard the International Space Station.

Elizabeth, to her surprise, is met resistance when she travels to Myanmar to sign a Pacific Rim trade agreement, which will modernize the country's power grid and benefit several of its trading partners. Meanwhile, Nadine attempts to mend her relationship with her estranged son.

After his father’s death, Henry’s family uncovers shocking secrets that open old wounds for them, including his grieving sister Maureen, who blames Henry for not spending enough time at home. Also, Russell keeps important information from Elizabeth’s team at the State department.

While Elizabeth accompanies Alison on a college campus tour, she is ambushed by protestors about a Chilean mining operation involving the U.S. and Chilean governments. Also, Henry, Jane and Jose Campos attempt to track down Jibral Disah's third wife, Hijriyyah

As Elizabeth holds peace talks between the prime ministers of India and Pakistan, a mysterious plane crash tied to both countries causes the three parties to reevaluate the deal. Also, in an attempt to help the NSA locate the terrorist Jibral Disah, Henry approaches a former teacher of one of Disah’s wives for information, and Elizabeth withstands a grueling interview with Jane Pauley.

Elizabeth learns that a member of the inner circle of the terrorist group Boko Haram has fallen ill with a deadly virus and, by leveraging his weakness, she formulates a plan to get them to release a group of schoolgirls they are holding captive. Also, Henry gets new information on the whereabouts of Jibral Disah that leads them closer to pinpointing his location.

When Elizabeth receives shocking news about an important political operative, she navigates a tricky political situation with President Dalton, who she learns may be considering replacing her as Secretary of State. Also, Stevie and Jareth get engaged.

When a storm destroys a naval base in Bahrain, Elizabeth urges President Dalton to reexamine his approach to climate change and his overall foreign policy, something that could jeopardize his re-election campaign. Also, the McCords worry that their family is being stalked when they discover Jason’s laptop may have been hacked.

With Algeria on the brink of a civil war, Elizabeth delicately negotiates a regime change, but her plans go awry when Roy Curtis, the trusted U.S. Ambassador to Algeria, dies unexpectedly. Also, Henry fights to save religious antiquities in Algeria when he discovers they are being destroyed by Hizb al-Shahid.

After U.S. environmental activists protesting China’s damage of a South China Sea reef are arrested for spying, Elizabeth finds herself in a stalemate with the Chinese foreign minister as she lobbies for their release.