US President Richmond will be making his next State of the Union address later today. In his Cabinet is Tom Kirkman, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, which is on the lowest rung of Cabinet positions. Non-elected Tom, who was appointed from an academic career, and the President often do not see eye to eye, the latter who is losing political respect for the former. As such, the President has not included any initiatives raised by Tom in the address, and has informed Tom through his Chief of Staff Charlie Langdon that he will soon be demoted to a position based in Montreal (which is framed as a promotion) or fired if he does not accept the demotion. Further, Tom has been assigned the designated survivor for the address, meaning that he will be housed in a secret secured bunker while the rest of the Cabinet enjoys the public visibility by joining the President at the Capitol for the address. Things for all involved change drastically when the Capitol is bombed during the address - the perpetrators initially unknown - with the President and the rest of the Cabinet killed in the process, leading to Tom being appointed President, something he never saw happening or to which he would ever aspire. Tom is insecure enough in his own abilities at this crucial time, which is only exacerbated by similar views by others, including Seth Wheeler, who was President Richmond's head speech writer, and Harris Cochrane, the Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Tom knows he has to look and sound Presidential to show the world that it is business as usual, meaning that his first speech, to be written by Seth in less than an hour, is of utmost importance. However, there are actions behind the scenes that could affect what happens. Through it all, Tom needs the emotional support of his family - his wife Alex, his teenaged son Leo, and adolescent daughter Penny - each who may be going through their own issues in dealing with the situation.