After an Italian warship answers a distress call from a ship carrying Libyan refugees, Elizabeth is given 20 minutes to decide whether to question a passenger who claims to know the whereabouts of Jibral Disah, the most-wanted terrorist in the world. Also, Stevie brings her boyfriend Jareth home to meet her parents.

When the assistant vice minister of Timor-Leste suddenly dies during a meeting with Elizabeth on the first day of the U.N General Assembly, she becomes suspicious after the president of Timor-Leste ships the body back without a proper investigation. Also, a “fake news” story surfaces claiming Elizabeth is responsible for the minister’s death, and Dmitri returns to work with Henry.

With a government shutdown looming, Elizabeth must think outside the box to help fund an electrical grid in a Syrian refugee camp, before riots break out in the country due to the lack of electricity and water. Also, Henry searches for Dmitri when he goes missing.

As the government shutdown shows no sign of progress, Secretary of State McCord must negotiate an agreement between the White House and its opposition led by Senator Morejon. Also, Elizabeth is having trouble finding a suitable replacement for the chief of staff position.

Elizabeth is determined to continue to hold a human trafficking conference in Kyrgyzstan despite the inappropriate actions by a U.S. ambassador. Also, Elizabeth and Henry worry about Alison when she keeps coming home from college.

When a Russian dissident flees to the U.S. after contracting smallpox, Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord and retired U.N. Ambassador Kat Sandoval must work with Russian Foreign Minister Konstantin Avdonin to contain the outbreak.

Secretary of State McCord and her staff work with the Mexican government to extradite a Mexican cartel leader to a U.S. prison in an effort to diminish the opioid crisis. But after he escapes during transport and a journalist who secured a gloating interview with him while on the lam is murdered, Elizabeth’s urgency to find the leader escalates.

Secretary of State McCord reluctantly agrees to host a holiday party in the hopes of persuading senators in attendance to pass a treaty that requires countries to destroy landmines. Also, Henry tries to find evidence that the Senate Majority Leader exchanged information with the Russians.