Pete and Mason's friendship is put at risk when they find themselves competing for the same job. Pete accuses Mason of not wanting the job, something Mason takes offensively, but realizes it's true. Pete doesn't get the job, and Mason doesn't even want to know the results. Their friendship is more important than any job. Meanwhile, Sarah is asked to cover a parking ticket story for her co-worker, and with Finley's help she turns it into an investigative story about diplomatic immunity. Finley and Mason's parents visit, and Finley refuses to obey their wishes of her returning to college. She later discovers that her parents' marriage might be a charade.

When a girl is brutally murdered by three classmates, Mason suggests to Congressman Owens that parental responsibility in such crimes is something he should take a stand on. Owens thinks it's a great idea, and has Mason start writing an amendment while setting up a press conference with the dead girl's parents. Sarah leverages her relationship with Mason to get an exclusive interview with the parents, making herself look good to her network. Mason is upset when Sarah's questions lead the couple to admit that they don't really support parental responsibility. Mason's job is on the line, but he redeems himself by rewriting the amendment for Owens with an eye toward not unfairly blaming good parents with bad kids. Meanwhile, Sarah is troubled that she lied to the parents and said that she had recently lost a cousin close to her to violent crime to get them to open up. Pete gets a new high-powered job more on the merit of his sexual charm than anything else. Finley gets a job at the Smithsonian after showing a tour guide up with her knowledge of and excitement about history.