The eight cabinet members and Vice President tender their resignations (Palmer does not accept them), and Palmer then tells his staff that he believes that the strictest evidence of hostile intent is required before waging war. Once the evidence is produced, the strikes are called off and Palmer is reinstated as President, thanks largely to his ex-wife Sherry Palmer (who risks her life for the evidence, and who also had an indirect hand in the day's events). Jack, Michelle and Tony race to find the evidence that the recording is a forgery, resulting in the discovery that a group of European and American businessmen fabricated it in order to wage war with the Middle East, and planned to benefit from the resulting skyrocketing oil prices. The vice president, James Prescott, is elevated to the presidency and orders military strikes against the three countries to continue. A majority of his Cabinet then vote to relieve Palmer of his position as President under Section 4 of the Twenty-fifth Amendment, believing his hesitation to be a sign of indecision and weakness, and is therefore indicative of his inability to lead the country effectively. However, due to Jack Bauer's doubts, Palmer is reluctant to order military action against them until he has absolute proof that the recording is genuine. A recorded conversation between a terrorist involved with the bomb and high-ranking officials of three Middle Eastern countries (which are never specified) is used to implicate those countries in the plot. After the bomb is detonated away from the city, the story focuses on the United States' response to the thwarted attack, and in particular the nation's retaliation against the people responsible for planning it. The first fifteen hours deal with finding and disposing of the nuclear bomb. time) the first scene of the season occurs in Seoul, South Korea (midnight, Seoul time).
This season can essentially be broken into two acts: Introduced into the situation is Kate Warner, a woman who ends up getting vital information related to CTU's mission.
President David Palmer and agent Jack Bauer to stop terrorists from detonating a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles. The season's main plot follows the work of now-U.S. The second season is set 18 months after season one.