On the eve of the Southern "Super Tuesday" primaries, Senator Yamaoka's unorthodox strategy of taking his case directly to the good ol' boys in a Dallas honky-tonk wins him the respect and endorsement of maverick Texas Democrat and influential agribusiness leader Don Taylor. The panicked campaign of Vice-President Noah now calculates that unless they win the California primary by a landslide, it's gong to come down to a fight and the convention.

After Takashi prevents an unknown party in Miami from trying to abduct Maria, he becomes complicit in a subtle and disturbing emotional game in which Takashi, Rachel, and Yamaoka make three separate appeals to Maria that convince her at the last moment to retract her statement and thereby save the senators's campaign. Now, having won the California primary, Yamaoka has a serious shot to snatch the prize from Vice-President Al Noah!

On the eve of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Yamaoka appears to have gained the critical momentum for the still up-for-grabs quot;super delegates" by striking a private deal with the President himself to accept the power-hungry First Lady as his running mate. It's a deal that Vice-President Noah - secretly long contemptuous of the couple occupying the White House - already turned down, possibly sealing his fate.

Senator Yamaoka has come through scandal and struggle to win the nomination at last, having convinced his former opponent, incumbent Vice-President Al Noah, to stand at his side. But the pundits say that while the dramatic internal struggle within the Democratic Party may have made for good theater, it won't help them much in beating the Republicans. This time the GOP has actually put forward a genuine American hero: Colorado Senator Richard Grant.

A veteran of the early air war over Vietnam, Grant appears with Yamaoka at a memorial ceremony where the Democrat expresses his belief that the only way to ever repay the Vietnam war dead is to admit America's role was "an act of barbarism." Now no senior military official will support the Yamaoka campaign; even his old company commander, Lt. General Kerrigan, turns down an offer to serve as a future National Security Advisor.

Both veterans, Grant and Yamaoka's differences erupt into national controversy when Yamaoka calls America's role in Vietnam "an act of barbarism." The eruption becomes a firestorm when Yamaoka follows with a televised speech recalling that in World War Two, America championed the idea of an effective world police under the United Nations - concluding that with the end of the Cold War, it's time to make it happen!

Shoring up support from key defense workers in Washington state, the polls say that the battle of ideas has made Yamaoka even with Grant. Now America is starting to have to take a hard look at just how much the candidates' races will mean for their decision on Election Day.

Takashi Jo's anger toward the enigmatic politician grows as Yamaoka does nothing to counter his distance from his children or stop leaking rumors about his rival's extramarital affairs.

The polls show America divided over the equally charismatic Yamaoka and Grant's ideas. But on a deeper, emotional level, the White swing vote is beginning to hesitate now that it looks like a minority candidate is no longer a protest vote and really could become president. Takashi realizes to his horror that in their most Machiavellian scheme yet, Yamaoka and his closest friend, McCoy, have put the story out that the senator is refusing to wear body armor despite death threats.

An assassination attempt gives Yamaoka a heroic lead in the polls, and unless Grant can take him down in a final TV debate, Kenneth Yamaoka will in a matter of days be elected the 43rd president of the United States - unless the one man who knows the whole truth decides he should stop him.

Unexpected memories of Vietnam and a tense, impromptu game of chess between Yamaoka and his rival, the Vice-President, complicate the campaign and create more problems for Jo.

In the first real test of the campaign, Yamaoka positions himself for success, making a dramatic case to the nation from the steps of the Capitol - but his rival's pulpit is already in the White House!