Q&A USA

Military contractor Brian Gilcrest (Bradley Cooper) returns to Hawaii to organize a traditional blessing for a new pedestrian gate on behalf of billionaire Carson Welch (Bill Murray), who intends to develop nearby land into a space center. Following a celebrated military career that ended in shadowy deals in Afghanistan, the now disillusioned Gilcrest is tasked with negotiating a deal with the Hawaiian natives and supporting Carson's launch of a privately funded satellite. Gilcrest's mission is complicated by his former girlfriend Tracy (Rachel McAdams), now married with two children, and his idealistic Air Force liaison, Captain Allison Ng (Emma Stone), whose wide-eyed fascination with space reminds him of his own childhood sense of wonder.

Gilcrest and Ng travel to meet King Kanahele at his isolated community to negotiate a deal for his participation in the gate blessing ceremony. Along the way, Ng tries to engage Gilcrest in conversation about his life and work, but is unable to break through his cynicism. When they meet the king, Ng, who is part Hawaiian, bonds with him and his companions, identifying with their spiritual view of the land and sky. After prolonged negotiations, Gilcrest brokers a deal for the king's participation in exchange for two mountains and free cell phone service. The next night, Gilcrest and Ng have dinner at Tracy's house, where they meet her husband Woody (John Krasinski) and their two children, Grace and Mitch. At one point, Gilcrest and Tracy find themselves alone in the kitchen, where she admits that she loved him and had plans to make a life with him before he abandoned her 13 years ago.

The next evening, they attend Carson's Christmas party, where General Dixon (Alec Baldwin) tells Gilcrest not to screw up the deal with the Hawaiians. One of the general's men hands Gilcrest a thumb drive containing top secret information for the upcoming satellite launch. During the party, Gilcrest becomes attracted to Ng, who is having fun dancing with Carson. Afterwards, Ng joins Gilcrest in his room where he recounts his experiences in Kabul, where he almost died. He tells her that this was the first night he was truly happy to have lived, and the two make love. The next day, Ng discovers that Carson's satellite will actually carry a nuclear payload. When she tries to resign, her colonel tells her it is a private operation run by Carson, and that Gilcrest is aware of the details. Later she confronts Gilcrest in tears for lying to her and to the Hawaiians.

Meanwhile, Woody and Tracy confront each other about recent tensions in their marriage, which he believes were caused by Gilcrest's arrival. They agree to separate. The next morning, Tracy shows up at Gilcrest's hotel and reveals that Grace is his daughter. Later that day, after the successful blessing of the new pedestrian gate, Gilcrest learns that the Chinese are attempting to hack the satellite's code to prevent the impending launch. He rushes to the command center and undermines the hackers' efforts. As he watches the satellite enter geosynchronous orbit, he realizes what he's done and its impact on Ng, whom he has come to love. Quickly, he orders a massive sonic upload to be sent to space, and he and Ng hold hands as they watch the satellite explode. Believing Ng's continued association with him will ruin her promising career, he tells her they should not see each other again.

Carson is not pleased with the destruction of his satellite and confronts Gilcrest, who tells him he cannot "buy the sky". General Dixon is also incensed by Gilcrest's actions, threatening to prosecute him.

Gilcrest returns to Tracy's house, where she reads him a moving love letter from Woody. Gilcrest tells her she belongs with her husband, and she encourages him to go after Ng. Woody comes home and sees Gilcrest in his home. Woody tells Gilcrest, he know Gilcrest is Gracie's father. He asks Gilcrest if he slept with his wife, Tracy, while he was gone. Gilcrest lets Woody know he slept with Ng and not with his wife. Woody goes into the living room where Tracy is cleaning up the living room. She sees Woody and they both run into each other's arms, then are joined by Gracie and Mitch. Gilcrest leaves the house while the happy family reunion continues.

General Dixon soon learns that Gilcrest was telling the truth about the nuclear weapons payload, and praises him for what he's done and reveals that authorities will soon be taking Carson into custody. Outside the hotel, Gilcrest finds Ng, who is preparing to leave. He tells her he loves her, is staying in Hawaii, and will be waiting for her to return. Later that night, Gilcrest stands outside Grace's hula class and watches her dance. She notices him, he nods at her, and she suddenly realizes, he is her father. With tears of joy in her eyes, she runs outside and embraces him, then returns to her class to continue her hula dancing.

Pete Garrison (Michael Douglas) is a Secret Service agent and one of the personal bodyguards for First Lady of the United States Sarah Ballentine (Kim Basinger), with whom he is having an affair. He is one of the oldest and most experienced agents, having been involved in saving Ronald Reagan's life during the Reagan assassination attempt.

A fellow agent and close friend, Charlie Merriweather (Clark Johnson), is murdered. Garrison gets word from a trusted informant that the killing of Merriweather is related to an assassination plot against the President. The intelligence provided by the informant reveals that a mole with access to the President's security detail had provided information to the assassins.

The Secret Service Protective Intelligence Division, led by Garrison's former protégé and ex-friend David Breckinridge (Kiefer Sutherland) with rookie partner Jill Marin (Eva Longoria), is tasked with investigating the plot, which begins with polygraphs for every agent. Meanwhile, the mole discovers the discussion with the informant and Garrison's affair with the First Lady, and attempts to blackmail Garrison by luring him to a coffee shop known to be a meeting point for Colombian gangs. After delaying for some time, Garrison is subjected to a polygraph.

In the meantime, the agent in charge of the Presidential Protective Division, William "Bill" Montrose (Martin Donovan), decides to use multiple modes of transport to move the president, randomly selected by a coin toss. As the president and First Lady visit Camp David, Garrison's informant calls, demanding that his payment be made at a shopping mall food court. Garrison goes to meet him, but he disappears in the crowd, and an assassin tries to kill Garrison. Breckinridge, Marin, and Garrison pursue the assassin, but he escapes. Simultaneously, the presidential helicopter is shot down by a surface-to-air missile outside of Camp David, though neither the president nor First Lady were aboard (due to Montrose's coin "deciding" to use the motorcade instead).

After failing the polygraph test (through lying about the affair), Garrison becomes the prime suspect.Breckinridge confronts Garrison at home and begins to interrogate him. The source of rancor between them comes to light: Garrison supposedly had an affair with Breckinridge’s wife and caused the breuakup of their marriage, which he denies. Garrison escapes capture and conducts an independent investigation of the assassination plot, while making brief contact with the First Lady to deny his involvement. He tries to contact the informant who gave him the tip, but finds that he has been killed.

Breckinridge gets the drop on Garrison but is unable to kill him, despite having given other agents "shoot to kill" orders. Using his contacts with sympathetic agents and family members, Garrison tracks down the location of one of the assassins, and learns they are headed to Toronto to attack the president at the G8 summit. After killing the assassin and finding incriminating evidence in the apartment, Garrison tells Marin of the discovery, but the Secret Service find the evidence and body of the assassin were removed before they arrived.

The First Lady discloses her affair with Garrison to Breckinridge, who now understands Garrison to be innocent. Together in Toronto, they discover the identity of the assassins and the mole, senior agent William Montrose (Martin Donovan), who was never polygraphed. Montrose is in charge of directing security at the G8 summit.

The leader of the assassins, The Handler (Ritchie Coster), tells Montrose to give him the President. Montrose attempts to refuse, but there is a threat to the lives of the agent's wife and two daughters if he backs out. Emotionally torn, Montrose is instructed by The Handler to jam the secret service's communication radios, and leave the summit via a specific route; the assassins will handle the rest.

On the night of the President's speech, Breckinridge and Garrison race to the summit. The assassins, dressed as Royal Canadian Mounted Police Emergency Response Team officers, kill several agents and try to kill the President. Montrose reveals to the President that he is the mole, despite the assassin's threats against Montrose's family. Montrose then purposely steps in front of and is killed by one of the assassins.

Garrison, Breckinridge and Marin kill the remaining disguised assassins while safely bringing the President and First Lady up to the summit to be evacuated. With all of his accomplices dead, The Handler comes forward dressed as an RCMP officer to personally kill the President and First Lady. He grabs Sarah hostage and aims his pistol to shoot the President, but Garrison shoots him dead.

In spite of these events, Garrison is forced to take an early retirement due to the disclosure of the affair with the First Lady, who looks on sadly from her window as Garrison leaves the White House. He does, however, make peace with Breckinridge, who finally realizes that Garrison never slept with his wife. Breckinridge tells Garrison that he has a date with her that evening.