Out of nowhere comes a surprise: the 15-year-old son of the Ayatollah--Iran's supreme spiritual leader and a diehard enemy of the US--needs a heart-lung transplant and he's asking Bartlet to let it happen in the US. The request is made in secret, through the Ayatollah's brother-in-law via the Swiss. While Bartlet weighs the ethics of helping an enemy of America versus saving an innocent child, the Ayatollah embarasses Bartlet by publicly condeming the procedure (to pacify his hardliners). The situation is further complicated when the only available qualified surgeon turns out to be an Iranian who fled Iran in 1979 because of the Ayatollah's persecution.

Synopsis for this episode:
The President faces a diplomatic hot potato when the 15 year old son of the Ayatollah requires major surgery in the US. Meanwhile Josh finds out that Hoynes is locking in people for his potential tilt at the Presidency and Toby has to break a promise to Democrat fall guy.