As Jack's day enters the early morning hours, the nation remains vulnerable, and President Taylor presses on with her international peace process. With the possibility of colossal failure facing CTU, attention turns to who is to blame, and things get personal when operatives take matters into their own hands.

As the terror threat continues, the Hassan family turmoil fans the flames of the increasingly urgent situation. When Jack closes in on a person of significant interest, a tense meeting between President Taylor and Omar Hassan takes an unexpected turn as the global security stakes are raised.

The clock races into the middle of the night when the threat of a devastating nuclear attack accelerates as Jack tracks an informed terror suspect who has an explosive strategy. Back at CTU, a key player grapples with being demoted, and the day takes an unexpected stressful turn when pesky parole officer Bill Prady enters the picture.