As the 5 a.m. hour starts ticking, helicopters search the East River looking for Samir, Tarin and the nuclear rods. Jack shrugs off medical care to join the search. Chloe and Arlo locate the cab containing the rods on satellite, but Dana, now in full-on mole mode, feeds Samir an escape route and sabotages the satellite feed, allowing the terrorists to escape. She continues to provide Samir with inside information, allowing him to move the bomb throughout Manhattan undetected.

Samir contacts President Taylor while she is convening with her National Security Council.

He has one demand: that Taylor turn over President Hassan so that he can pay for his crimes against the IRK. President Taylor’s advisers argue the options – Rob believes that they should consider turning over Hassan; Ethan believes it goes against the moral beliefs of the country. Tim, the Homeland Security chief, and General Brucker agree with Rob, but President Taylor states that they will not give in to Samir’s demands.

President Taylor contacts Jack in the field and asks him to supervise President Hassan’s safe evacuation, claiming that protecting President Hassan is more vital than scouring Manhattan for the rods. General Brucker goes behind President Taylor’s back and presents Rob with a covert operation to kidnap President Hassan and hand him off to the terrorists.

However, before Rob can provide President Hassan’s itinerary to the general, Ethan interrupts them and figures out their plan. He tries to stop them, but his heart gives out under the strain. General Brucker and a conflicted Rob Weiss decide to wait until Brucker’s team has acquired President Hassan before they get Ethan the medical attention he needs.

Jack realizes something is not right with the evacuation just in time; he manages to lead Hassan and his family away from Brucker’s team, which kills the remaining Secret Service agents. Hassan, Bauer and Renee are able to defeat the attack squad, whose leader reveals Brucker’s plot to Jack.

As the episode ends, Samir realizes that President Taylor does not plan on handing over Hassan. He orders Tarin to initiate the countdown on the bomb, now parked on the Upper West Side, and demands that Tarin sacrifice himself to ensure the bomb’s detonation. Tarin, looking visibly nervous, starts the clock, leaving just 15 minutes before it goes off.