A news anchor reports the "facts" about Avias Flight 514, claiming that Brazilian separatists onboard released a biological agent on the Sao Paulo-bound plane. After being quarantined, the passengers are finally healthy and will be set free. All survived except Michael Buchanan, the heroic pilot who navigated the plane to safety. At the White House, Martinez and Jarvis criticize Sterling for losing track of Sophia and Thomas. Defensive, Sterling argues that he's working on it, but that in the meantime, he's making progress on the investigation into the presidential assassination attempt. Michael Buchanan is finally healthy and he'd better be ready to explain why he tried to kill Martinez.
Martinez interrogates a broken, grief-stricken Michael. Michael explains that he was forced to take part in the assassination attempt after his family was taken from him. Martinez demands more details, but all Michael can remember is that at one point, his captors almost called off the assassination attempt. It was at 1:08 p.m., just before the plane took off, when Michael finally received word that he had to kill the president. Jarvis asks his assistant Eva for transcripts of Michael's interrogation. When Eva says that the conversation between Martinez and Michael has been restricted to the Executive Office of the President, Jarvis' face falls.
We flash back to Coral Gables just moments before the assassination attempt. Sterling and Jarvis urge Martinez to cancel the press conference, but Martinez insists that it's the right thing to do. Moments later Jarvis sneaks into his limo and calls Dempsey. Jarvis says that regrettably, the President won't budge. Dempsey replies that Martinez must be killed in order to stop the Inostranka detainees from being freed. Jarvis feels for the innocent Avias passengers, but ultimately follows Dempsey's orders. Sean and Leila hurry down the street, rushing away from Peter's burning apartment building. Suddenly Rivas appears behind them and shoots Sean in the shoulder! Sean and Leila attack Rivas and knock him unconscious before stealing a car and driving off. Leila insists on taking Sean to the hospital.
In the hospital parking lot, Sean tells Leila that admitting him is a bad idea. Doctors have to report gunshot victims to the police, and the police will surely want to arrest Sean. Leila sees a doctor in the parking lot and takes him hostage. She doesn't want to kill him, but she will unless he helps save Sean's life. At the White House, Martinez calls a meeting with Sterling. Martinez knows that someone very high up in his administration is behind the assassination plot. Someone gave Michael the "go ahead" after Martinez insisted on having the press conference. Martinez knows Sterling didn't have anything to do with it, but urges him to find out who is.
Jarvis calls Dempsey in a blind panic. What did Michael tell Martinez? What is Martinez discussing with Sterling? Fed up and terrified, Jarvis says he thought Dempsey would handle the assassination and make sure no one would find out. Now Jarvis is the one in the hot seat and he's not going to take it. Dempsey tells Jarvis not to worry and sets up a meeting so they can meet in person. Dempsey says he has information that will allay Jarvis' fears. It's two years earlier in New Orleans. Jarvis - then an optimistic senator - gives an electrifying speech. Afterwards, he meets with Dempsey, one of his largest contributors. Dempsey tells Jarvis that Martinez will win the election, that it's a "done deal." But Martinez is running on a bipartisan ticket. Dempsey can make Jarvis Vice President as long as Jarvis balances Martinez's idealistic streak.
We're back to the present. Sterling tells Martinez that Jarvis made a call at 1:05 p.m. The encrypted call lasted two minutes and ended a minute before Michael got the green light to kill the President. Jarvis is involved. But who's pulling Jarvis' strings? Against Sterling's wishes, Martinez charges towards Jarvis' office. But Jarvis's secretary says he's already left for a doctor's appointment and is unreachable. Leila forces Dr. Kemp to pick up medical supplies at a pharmacy. Sean waits in the car, still immobilized by his gunshot wound. When Leila and Dr. Kemp return to the car with the supplies, Sean is gone!
Meanwhile, Dempsey calls Vicky into his office. He's still unclear about how Sean and Leila managed to escape, but in spite of Vicky's blunder, he'd like to give her another assignment. He wants her to kill Vice President Jarvis! Jarvis enters his doctor's office alone. Moments later, Sterling tells Jarvis' guards to apprehend him at once. When they enter the doctor's office, however, Jarvis is gone! Jarvis reappears in a dark hallway when suddenly Vicky and Lonner surprise him! They both point guns at Jarvis, but in an instant Vicky turns and shoots Lonner instead. Vicky tells Jarvis that he must come clean about Dempsey and get rid of him; otherwise both Jarvis and Vicky will be as good as dead. She runs out of the building alone, leaving Jarvis to consider what to do next.
Dr. Kemp and Leila find Sean in a nearby alley, slumped over and close to death. They hurriedly work together to bandage him and stop the bleeding. Together, they save Sean's life. Behind the hospital, Jarvis calls Agent Romo in order to get a ride back to the White House. Jarvis then phones Martinez's office. Jarvis tells Martinez that he is headed to the Oval Office to confess. "Everything I did, I was led to believe was for the good of the country," Jarvis says. Jarvis claims that he was manipulated by a very powerful man, but Martinez doesn't want to hear excuses - he wants to know this man's name. Just as Jarvis is about to tell Martinez the name of the man behind the assassination plot, a nearby van explodes. The explosion knocks Jarvis unconscious.
Dempsey learns that the Jarvis situation is "done," but that the operation wasn't a total success. Vicky double-crossed Dempsey by killing Lonner and bolting. "What a shame," Dempsey says as he takes a dose of medicine. Then Dempsey walks over to a mirror and - for a split second - appears decades younger!