Madam Secretary: Season 5

After an incident of Hindu violence against Muslims in India, Elizabeth gets word that Pakistan might be willing to discuss a mutual anti-nuclear agreement with India, so she convinces Conrad that the US should pursue the agreement rather than attack India's tepid response to the violence. Henry, speaking at an academic symposium, harshly criticizes India's actions, leading that country's leadership to withdraw their willingness to discuss anything with Pakistan. Elizabeth cobbles together a pac

A man associated with the white supremacy group that fired the RPG at the White House is arrested with bomb-making materials in his vehicle. Some of the administration members want to hold him as a domestic terrorist, while others point out that the statutes are not written to apply to citizens arrested within the country. Elizabeth learns that he was in correspondence with a far-right politician in Poland, and asks the Polish government to make that person available for questioning, but the pre

A clothing factory in Italy burns down, killing many of its workers, just before Milan Fashion Week. Italy absolves itself of blame because the factory is owned by China and the workers were also from China. Elizabeth decides to accept Italy's invitation to attend Fashion Week in hopes of reviving interest in a global fair labor agreement. She convinces Conrad to sign off on a complaint against China for the factory disaster; China responds by setting tariffs against the United States. Foreign M

President Andrada of the Philippines refuses to repatriate the remains of American servicemen until his country receives an aid and weapons package. The bill authorizing the package is being held up in committee by a senator who intends to run for president and wants to make things difficult for Elizabeth as his future opponent. Henry and Stevie are refused service at a restaurant owned by a friend of the senator. Ali becomes disillusioned when a politician who she has been campaigning for compr

Henry attends a conference on religious freedom in Thailand to support an old friend, a Thai national who is now an American citizen, but Henry is horrified when Rochana speaks against the monarchy and is swiftly arrested. When Henry attends the king of Thailand's birthday celebration as a representative of the U.S. president, he pleads with the king to pardon Rochana. To Henry's surprise, the pardon is granted, but Henry and Rochana are stopped at a checkpoint on their way to the airport. The k

As thousands of refugees attempt to flee the civil war in Syria, Turkey closes its borders because pledges to the United Nations to compensate Turkey are short by $5 billion. Elizabeth's team's attempts to find more funds fail. On the way home, an Icelandic volcano eruption causes Elizabeth's plane to be grounded in Ireland, along with the plane of Turkey's diplomats and that of the Dutch national chess team. From a member of the chess team, Jay learns that the Russian representative to the worl

Laos cracks down on human trafficking, which by their laws includes surrogates. Caught up in the sweep is a woman carrying a child for the vice president's son and daughter-in-law. Elizabeth attempts to form an international coalition to set global standards for surrogacy but her efforts are pre-empted when the media accuses the vice president of support for sex trafficking. The vice president leads a group of American couples connected to the Laotian surrogates to Laos. After she officially apo

The newly-elected president of Haiti visits the White House, but the incumbent president refuses to recognize the election results and instigates a coup. Elizabeth juggles incentives and threats to resolve the situation. Eventually, the incumbent agrees to take refuge in Monaco. Blake is appointed as a policy advisor on Elizabeth's staff.

A summit to discuss letting Kosovo and Serbia join NATO is derailed when Spain rescinds its support because of sudden threats of independence for Catalonia. Internet claims that a large mass grave has been discovered in Kosovo raises tensions. More news stories inflame the populace of Kosovo and result in violence against Serbians. The US identifies a Russian-sponsored troll farm behind the onslaught of fake news stories and takes it down, then presents their intelligence to the representatives

Arizona begins separating children from their parents who enter the United States illegally and refuses to grant Mexican diplomats access to the detainees. Failing to obtain a preliminary injunction in federal court, Dalton agrees to let Elizabeth go to Arizona to escort the Mexican ambassador into the children's holding facility. When the governor forces them to leave, Elizabeth speaks to the press and protestors about the appalling conditions she found inside. At the governor's direction, the

Elizabeth declines a plea deal and asks the judge to keep her in jail until the detained immigrant children are reunited with their parents. A wave of public support for her stance helps Jay and a marijuana legalization lobbyist convince Senator Morejon to sponsor a bill to address the border separation policy in Arizona, as well as a bill proposing legalization of marijuana as a tool to combat illegal immigration. Henry and Elizabeth have their vow renewal ceremony in jail. The bill supporting

Fossor, the company that is supplying the Department of Defense with 80 F-40 fighter jets, says that in order to meet the budget and timeline, they need to sell 100 units. Conrad proposes that Taiwan buy the other 20. Elizabeth points out that China will see the move as unprovoked aggression. A spy for Fossor obtains a copy of the top secret memo analyzing the sale and leaks it to China. Minister Chen conveys China's outrage to Elizabeth. When it is learned that it was Fossor behind the leak, Co

When a cluster bomb kills 29 children in Syria, suspicion falls on Israel, as only the U.S. is known to manufacture cluster bombs. An investigation reveals that the bomb was made in Russia, which had hacked the blueprints from the poorly safeguarded computer system of the U.S. manufacturer, run by a friend of Conrad's. Israel provokes Syria into shooting down a Russian plane filled with soldiers. Russia responds by sending an armada to establish a port in Syria, which the U.S. resolves to preven

During a violent uprising in Nicaragua, a group of American missionaries escape the violence by take refuge in a church, but are unable to leave or seek medical treatment for their wounded. Conrad is oddly hesitant to take any action. Elizabeth is unable to convince Nicaragua's president to cooperate. Elizabeth learns that years ago, Conrad worked at the CIA station in Nicaragua and the president blames Conrad for the death of his mother in an explosion. Conrad convinces the president's father,

An agreement between the U.S. and Afghanistan goes awry when a video of Matt talking with a young Afghani woman on the plane goes viral. She seeks protection at the U.S. embassy to avoid the members of her family who intend to enact an honor killing. The government of Afghanistan refuses to sign the agreement unless the woman is returned to her family, and the State Department cannot continue to protect her since she refuses to request asylum. Matt and the woman's chaperone on the flight meet wi

The Pacific island nation of Nauru is devastated by a typhoon, and scientists predict that another storm will render it uninhabitable. Elizabeth convinces an actor to donate his private island to the people of Nauru in exchange for forgiveness of his tax debt by the IRS. Henry speaks to an evangelical group about climate change, annoying the influential leader of the group who immediately donates to an opponent of Elizabeth in the next presidential race. The leader's daughter, spokesperson for t

While Elizabeth holes up at Camp David to write a speech, Jay takes lead at a United Nations roundtable focused on climate migration. Returning from a cruise, Daisy is quarantined when her daughter develops the measles. Jay suggests that the State Department examine vaccination status of applicants for new passports and renewals, which Conrad supports but Russell does not. Will gets his own apartment.

A treaty on climate migration is threatened when Poland reverses its support due to right-wing extremists in its government. Elizabeth asks Lena, an old colleague and an academic from Poland who is also a U.S. permanent resident, to speak to the symposium at the United Nations. After Lena agrees, she is shot in Poland, and U.S. intelligence indicates that the shooters were Polish intelligence agents. When the president of Poland refuses to release Lena to the U.S., Elizabeth convinces Conrad to

An article is published, speculating that Elizabeth and Conrad had an affair when they worked at the CIA. The governor of Massachusetts asks Elizabeth to run as the GOP candidate. Nina tells Kat of her reluctance to work for the Deputy Secretary of State who will be taking Elizabeth's place when she announced her candidacy. Kat learns more about the concerns that female employees have about the Deputy and confronts him. He resigns. Elizabeth struggles with the Rohingya situation in Myanmar and s

After all the major countries, including Russia and China, agree to the climate migration treaty, a terrorist group attacks a dinner of the UN Security Council with sarin gas, killing all the attendees. Conrad turns down Elizabeth's request to withdraw her resignation. The Department of Justice and FBI launch an investigation into presidential-candidate Senator Callister and he withdraws from the race. Blake and Stevie kiss. Elizabeth publicly announces that she is running for president.