A paranoid government official drops a bombshell on Pope & Associates and even Olivia is caught off-guard with how high up this Scandal goes. Back at the office, unresolved questions about Quinn's background create tension amongst the associates. Meanwhile, despite Cyrus' best efforts to keep a lovesick President under control, things still manage to heat up between Fitz and Olivia when Olivia's old flame returns.

A DC college student goes missing and her grieving parents come to Pope & Associates for help. Meanwhile David is still investigating the Cytron case and gets help from a very surprising source; and in the White House, Fitz feels the pressure as Mellie proves once again that she's a political powerhouse.

When the wife of a governor is raped, the governor takes the law into his own hands and then asks Olivia and her team to come in and clean up his mess. Meanwhile, both Cyrus and the President are caught off-guard when Cyrus' husband, James, decides to return to his career as a journalist covering the White House.

Olivia receives an anonymous letter containing a coded warning which could expose Huck's dark past. Meanwhile another Pope & Associates secret has already been exposed and Olivia asks Harrison to step up and handle it. And in the White House, Cyrus and Fitz are dealing with the ramifications of Cyrus' husband's first front page news story.

Harrison leads the team in managing a billionaire businessman who seems to have lost his sanity; meanwhile, Olivia and the White House prepare to celebrate the President's 50th birthday, as James continues to investigate Cytron and discovers something that could change the fate of the country.

A national tragedy forces Olivia to return to work at the White House. Meanwhile, we learn more about the first few days of Fitz's presidency.

With Huck being held under the Patriot Act, Olivia and the team get unexpected assistance from an old friend. Meanwhile, Olivia helps Mellie out of a very compromising situation that could affect Fitz's future, and her relationship with Edison reaches a boiling point.

Changes continue to rock the White House, as we also flashback to learn more about the rigged election. Meanwhile, things get heated between Olivia and Edison after he makes a shocking accusation.

After discovering the truth about the rigged White House election, the "Gladiators in Suits" realize that a quickly unraveling Olivia may not always wear the white hat. Meanwhile, Mellie is forced to take extreme measures to try and reel Fitz in.

As David uncovers the truth about the Cytron case, things come to a head for Olivia, Cyrus, Mellie, Hollis and Verna. Backed into a corner, the five conspirators go to extremes and, in some cases, unconscionable lengths to protect themselves and/or the ones they love.

Through flashbacks we learn more about Olivia's estranged relationship with her father. Meanwhile, both the White House and Pope & Associates are still in the middle of cleaning up the very big and very public mess they created.

Olivia knows she can’t handle this latest storm on her own and calls for help from an unexpected source. Meanwhile, Mellie and Cyrus continue to pull strings from the sidelines and Jake is still occupied by a ghost from his past.

Mellie manages to make a public gaffe whilst Olivia attempts to fix it. David Rosen looks for advice on dealing with his love triangle with Liz and Susan.

Following the first Republican debate, Olivia is presented with damaging information about an opponent and enlists the Gladiators to verify its authenticity. Meanwhile, David deals with fallout from his dating life, and Cyrus continues to work on his own political agenda.

Olivia and Abby have to put their differences aside and work together to try and take Hollis Doyle down. Meanwhile, Edison realizes he may have made a deal with the devil as Rowan and Jake continue to try and pull the strings behind his campaign.

As each presidential candidate gets ready to announce their running mate, Olivia finds herself in a potentially dire situation. Meanwhile, Cyrus is presented with damaging information that could alter the presidential race entirely.