The third-season opener picks up where the sophomore year ended, with Mannion struggling for his life after being shot on his boat and falling overboard into the Potomac River. As he tries to pull himself ashore, his would-be assassin, the daughter of the Russian mobster Putin, flees the scene and is hit by a car. While the accident reveals that Mannion is missing, the chief keeps his survival a secret to figure out who's behind the shooting. Deputy Chief Noland receives immediate pressure from an aggressive U.S. attorney general to solve the case, while a new press secretary tries to keep matters from spinning out of control.