In 1950's Washington, Hawkins Fuller is at the State Department, enjoying clandestine sex with men and avoiding entanglements, but things change when he begins an affair with Tim Laughlin; in 1986, Hawk decides he must see Tim.
Hawk distances himself from Tim when the State Department begins investigations; Mary comes under suspicion; Marcus loses his job after a dispute with Roy Cohn; Hawk draws closer to Lucy; in the 1980s, Hawk observes gay life in the AIDS crisis.
Hawk and Tim's road trip turns sour when ulterior motives come to light; Marcus and Frankie encounter a racist bouncer; Roy tries to keep David from being drafted; in 1980s San Francisco, Tim withholds forgiveness until an emergency changes things.
Facing a polygraph test about his sex life, Hawk courts Lucy; Marcus makes peace with his attraction to Frankie; Roy threatens to destroy the army when David is drafted; in 1980s San Francisco, Tim recruits Hawk to help his AIDS activist group.
Roy Cohn's obsession with David Schine leads to the televised Army-McCarthy hearings; Hawk tries to protect Senator Smith while hiding his secret life from Lucy; exposed to McCarthy's - and Hawk's - true natures, Tim makes a life-changing decision.
It's 1968 and Tim's an anti-war protester sought by the FBI. Hawk and Lucy have two children and a country house. Out of touch for years, Hawk wants Tim back in his life and Tim - on his way to becoming a priest - can't resist Hawk's charms.
Matt Bomer
Hawkins "Hawk" Fuller
Jonathan Bailey
Tim Laughlin
Noah J. Ricketts
Frankie Hines
Will Brill
Roy Cohn
Allison Williams
Lucy Smith