Plot Synopsis

In this political drama, former First Lady and current Secretary of State Elaine Barrish Hammond balances her political aspirations with the demands of her personal life and her own principles, while protecting her family from Susan Berg, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who made her name publishing scathing columns about the Hammonds. Elaine has found new purpose and popularity since divorcing her philandering husband, former President Bud Hammond, and taking on the job of Secretary of State to President Paul Garcetti, who defeated her in the Democratic Presidential primaries. Now out from under the shadow of her husband, Elaine proves herself to be a gifted politician with a fierce desire to right the wrongs of the world, whether in international diplomatic chambers or in her own living room. Susan is a bright, dedicated reporter who'll do just about anything to get the story -- including threatening to expose painful secrets about the former first family. After muscling her way into an exclusive with Elaine, Susan learns that there's more to the Secretary of State than she may have once believed. Elaine's family includes: her mother Margaret, a tell-it-like-it-is former Vegas showgirl, who doesn't shy away from the limelight and is willing to show some tough love and speak her mind to her family; her ex-husband Bud, a rampant womanizer experiencing a fall from grace following their divorce, who is determined to restore his reputation and maneuver his way back into the good graces of the sons who resent him and the ex-wife he still loves; Douglas, the responsible one of her 30-year-old twin sons, who has inherited his parents' intelligence, ambition, and passion for politics, serving as his mother's de facto Chief of Staff and family diplomat; TJ, the wild card of the twins, who is the first openly gay son of an American President and has spent much of his adult life battling addiction while searching for a place for himself in the world; and Annie Ogami, Douglas' fiancee and interior designer, who is poised to become the newest member of the Hammond family but is still adjusting to a life where every private moment becomes subject to public scrutiny. At the White House, Elaine works with: President Paul Garcetti, her former opponent and bitter rival, who won over the public but is now feeling overwhelmed, causing his principles to become increasingly malleable and creating a situation where he makes decisions to protect his legacy; and Vice President Fred Collier, ignored like most Vice Presidents, who is a political animal willing to sink to any ethical lows in the pursuit of power -- and he's eager to see Elaine go down because of her popularity and influence with the President.