Quinn Perkins takes a job with Olivia Pope and Associates on the series premiere of Scandal.

Decorated war hero Lt. Col. Sully St. James stumbles into Olivia's office covered in blood asking for help in clearing his name after fleeing the scene of his girlfriend's brutal murder. His alibi is shaky and all signs point toward him being the killer, but Olivia's gut tells her he's innocent. The team looks for anything that will help clear St. James' name and find their answers in the security footage from a bank, but what's in that footage changes St. James' life completely and Olivia and Co. must convince him that coming out with that information is better than spending the rest of his life in jail for a crime he didn't commit, even if that information could ruin the reputation he's built as the most decorated war hero since the Vietnam War.

Meanwhile, the President of the United States calls on Olivia for help quieting his own potential scandal and Olivia finds herself unable to say no. When she finds that the President's supposed mistress has also heard the phrase "sweet baby," Olivia knows she's made a grave mistake in trusting the leader of the free world.

Quinn struggles with the demands of her new job and Stephen struggles with whether he can lead the normal life of a married man after his many years of womanizing.