It is the day of Bartlet's second inauguration and yet the celebrations stutter as the staff are stunned by a betrayal in their midst.

Leo is left manning the fort when the President goes AWOL whilst visiting tornado victims. Josh is not in the position to lend a hand as he deals with the fallout from a gross miscalculation and lack of judgment.

Bartlet travels with former presidents Newman and Walken aboard Air Force One to the funeral of another former president. Meanwhile, Leo sits in the situation room dealing with demonstrations that are wracking Saudi Arabia and threatening to topple the royal family and CJ tries to deal with rumors of military mind control experiments. On board the plane, Toby tries to write Bartlet's eulogy as the crisis in Saudi Arabia grows worse.

A nuclear device is tested in the Indian Ocean, but none of the known nuclear powers will claim responsibility, leading to the possibility of a terrorist group holding missile tests. Vice President Russell, heretofore dismissed by west wing staff as a joke, a four-term congressman alleged to be securely in the pocket of a large Colorado mining company, recalls a junket he'd taken early in his political career in which a drunken Israeli statesman confessed to secret missile tests. Russell visits the sit. room and puts the military and national security leaders at ease, leading the president and Leo to reassess the man's political gravitas. Bartlet then drags the Israeli p.m. to the White House, where they debate the power of the U.S. to dictate which states should have nuclear capabilities.

A fact finding codel to the Middle East is torn apart by an explosion. Key members of the administration and their loved ones are caught in the mess. The President is forced to consider retaliatory military action in the unstable area, with possible repercussions that could last decades.

The President finds himself at odds with Leo, and the entire country, on his position regarding retaliation for the bombing in Gaza.

C.J.'s first day as Chief of Staff gives her a new appreciation for Leo's skill in the role. While struggling to keep up with her hectic schedule, she must handle the sudden appearance of abandoned Soviet nuclear material, counter political maneuvering within the Cabinet, and assert her authority with the staff and the President. Toby conducts a press briefing after which C.J. orders him to quickly find someone to fill the role permanently. The Democratic Party enlists Josh's help to talk Congressman Matt Santos out of taking an early retirement.

Leo returns to the White House to help bolster the administration, which is suffering from the loss of Josh, Donna, Will, and the Vice President to the next election campaign. Leo's first day back follows President Bartlet's last State of the Union address, and unlike in previous years there appears to be little momentum on bold, large-scale initiatives. Amidst numerous distractions that dilute the focus of the staff (kidnappings in Colombia, the First Lady's appearance at a NASCAR race, and petulant Congressmen), he challenges the administration on their agenda for their remaining year in office.

CJ and Abbey go twelve rounds on how to handle President Bartlett and his disease. Lord Marbury makes his return to the White House after a British commercial plane gets shot down by Iran. Toby splits his time between helping write a Belarus constitution and the yearly meeting with Miss World

While Vinick and the Republicans deliver a flawless albeit predictable convention, the Democratic convention looks to be more like a pie fight as there is no clear favorite. Russell tries to preempt the floor vote by hinting offers of the vice presidential nomination to both Santos and Governor Baker of Pennsylvania. Charlie and Zoey's relationship is becoming more serious, resulting in different reactions from the President and the First Lady. An air leak on the International Space Station will kill all three astronauts unless a rescue mission can be launched. NASA advises that their shuttles are unfit for flight, but then hints at another solution.

WHO WILL BE THE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE? - It's the Democratic National Convention and the race to become the Democratic Presidential candidate has narrowed to three candidates: Russell, Baker and Santos. Also, Bartlet must wrestle with the decision to launch the super-secret defense shuttle to rescue the astronauts trapped at the space station and risk national security or let them die.

The Santos campaign faces questions on intelligent design and evolution during a campaign stop focusing on education in Pennsylvania. Margaret testifies before the committee investigating the leak, which has also served most current and former members of the Bartlet administration with subpoenas. A suicide bombing in the Middle East throws the region into chaos and threatens to postpone all campaigning. An intelligence analyst assigned to brief the Vinick campaign demands to speak with CJ.

Toby's confession sends shock waves through the White House; Kate tracks developments following the assassination in Kazakhstan; the Santos campaign appears stalled.

President Bartlet's plan to attend his daughter Ellie's White House wedding is jeopardized when Russia and China mobilize troops over growing chaos in Kazakhstan. The Santos campaign has gained ground on Vinick over the last few weeks, but with less than two months until the election it's not clear that the gap can be closed. As Josh obsesses over the electoral math, tracking polls, and decisions on where to spend advertising money, some Democrats are nervous that the election is slipping away, and urge Santos to fire Josh as campaign manager.

The Vinick campaign struggles with the impact of the nuclear accident in California; Josh and Donna have a "moment".

Eyebrows are raised when the President-elect places a call to the president of China and offers a different position than that of Bartlet. Meanwhile, Josh picks his deputy chief of staff.