When newly-hired lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening) meets with U. S. President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) to present the case of the environmental concerns group she represents, she succeeds in turning his head personally as well as politically. Once their high-profile romance begins, President Shepherd's political rival, Senator Bob Rumson (Richard Dreyfuss), finally has his opening to start a negative campaign against Shepherd. Rumson begins a nasty smear campaign to support his own run for president, the sort of campaign his party had longed to use during the previous election, but which was deemed inappropriate to run against a widower such as Shepherd. As though that wasn't enough, just when the negative campaigning begins to really spin out of control, Wade and Shepherd's romance finds another obstacle. This time, it comes in the form of a political showdown between the bill that Shepherd believes will get him re-elected and the bill that Wade's group is lobbying for, which could force them both to choose between the relationship and their political careers.