In 1950s Washington, Hawkins Fuller is at the State Department enjoying clandestine sex with men and avoiding entanglements; everything changes when Hawk 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.

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; 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 Sen. 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.