In 1950’s Washington, Hawkins Fuller is a war hero moving up the ladder at the State Department, flirting with women while enjoying clandestine sex with men and avoiding emotional entanglements. Everything changes when Hawk meets religious Tim Laughlin: they begin an affair that puts them in jeopardy. In 1986, married Hawk receives a mysterious package and decides he must see Tim.

When the State Department begins investigations into suspected homosexuals, Hawk distances himself from Tim, who questions his faith. Hawk’s colleague Mary comes under suspicion. Journalist Marcus loses his job after a dispute with Roy Cohn but is comforted by drag performer Frankie. Needing cover, Hawk draws closer to Lucy Smith. In 1980s San Francisco, Hawk observes gay life in the AIDS crisis when Tim’s sister forbids him to see Tim.

Hawk and Tim go on a road trip that turns sour when Tim realizes Hawk is using the trip to dig up dirt on Senator Smith’s enemies. Marcus and Frankie’s encounter with a racist bouncer nearly tears them apart. Roy is desperate to keep David from being drafted and Jean Kerr questions McCarthy’s masculinity. In 1980s San Francisco, Tim withholds forgiveness until a medical emergency gives Hawk a chance to prove he’s worthy of it.

As the government’s purge of homosexuals continues, Hawk faces a polygraph test about his sex life and publicly courts Lucy while involving Tim in a desperate plot to destroy McCarthy and Cohn. Marcus makes peace with his attraction to Frankie’s feminine persona. David has been drafted and Roy threatens to destroy the Army. In 1980s San Francisco, Hawk meets Marcus and Frankie’s adopted son and Tim recruits Hawk to help his AIDS activist group.

Roy Cohn’s obsession with David Schine leads to the televised Army-McCarthy hearings and national scandal as McCarthy’s allies attack Senator Smith, threatening to expose family secrets. Hawk tries to protect Smith while hiding his secret life from Lucy, although a tragedy brings them closer. Marcus must decide between his love for Frankie and his new job at the Post. Exposed to McCarthy’s – and Hawk’s – true natures, Tim makes a life-changing decision about his future.