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.