Margaret and Charlie prove to be invaluable allies as C.J. has a rough first day in her new position, made even more difficult by a Russian bearing radioactive gifts and a Defense Secretary's attempts to undermine her; Toby's less than stellar performance in the briefing room makes the search for a new press secretary a top priority, and Josh volunteers Donna to assist him in interviewing potential candidates; faced with a number of vulnerable seats in the upcoming election, Josh attempts to dissuade Matthew Santos from dropping out of another race for the House.

The peace mission suffers its first American casualty, whose father is sharply critical of the administration; Santos breaks ranks with the party by signing onto Republican legislation for a patient bill of rights when his own bill dies in committee; Margaret searches for a new office for Charlie; Leo struggles to recover his health, his strength, and his appetite with the help of his nurse, who looks after both his body and his soul with wisdom and determination; Donna, out of her wheelchair and onto crutches, is besieged by the media for interviews; C.J. has harsh words for Toby when he lets his personal feelings take him off-message in the briefing room; Leo contemplates a post-recovery job offer in the private sector before his nurse reminds him why he left there in the first place; Will calls Josh out about the staff's disrespect for Russell's candidacy; as Annabeth finds a way to turn around a bad news cycle, Toby admonishes C.J. about micro-managing the press office.