Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) is a Democratic congressman and House Majority Whip who has previously been promised the post of Secretary of State by the President-elect, Garrett Walker (Michael Gill). However, when Walker reneges on his promise, Underwood resolves to exact political revenge against the newly-sworn president, Chief of Staff Linda Vasquez (Sakina Jaffrey) and Secretary-designate Michael Kern. Underwood attempts to push Senator Catherine Durant (Jayne Atkinson) to sabotage Kern's appointment by questioning his positions on Israeli-Palestinian conflict.