Mac stands by her attorney-general nominee, longtime friend Carl Brantley, who's pummeled during his confirmation hearings for being soft on crime. Elsewhere, a military cargo plane carrying surface-to-air missiles goes missing over Pakistan, and Vice President Keaton takes command of the situation. And having resigned his job in the West Wing, Rod retreats to the East Wing, where there's also a crisis: Kate is missing.

Mac's appendix bursts mid-flight on Air Force One and, with Vice President Keaton having resigned, House Speaker Templeton becomes acting president, and he relishes the role. Meanwhile, an airline strike is crippling air traffic on the eve of Memorial Day weekend, and Templeton deals with it in a way Mac certainly wouldn't.