Mac faces her first terrorism crisis when a Saudi is stopped at the Canadian border with explosives in his car and a map outlining a Halloween-parade route in Springfield, Mo. He stonewalls the FBI, prompting a dispute over interrogation tactics between Mac and the attorney general, a Templeton ally. Meanwhile, Rod gets an offer he doesn't want to refuse; a Jimmy Kimmel joke about Rod on TV leads to schoolyard brawling for Horace; and Mac walks in on Rebecca and her new boyfriend.

As the confirmation hearings for Gen. Keaton begin, the White House is rocked by a slash-and-burn book about Mac that reveals Bridges' deathbed request for her resignation for the first time. The author cites "senior White House officials" as the source. This crisis means that Rod will skip his first day as baseball commissioner. Meanwhile, Rebecca goes to a party at her boyfriend's house and Horace gets a "D" on a school paper.