Plot summary
As thousands of refugees attempt to flee the civil war in Syria, Turkey closes its borders because pledges to the United Nations to compensate Turkey are short by $5 billion. Elizabeth's team's attempts to find more funds fail. On the way home, an Icelandic volcano eruption causes Elizabeth's plane to be grounded in Ireland, along with the plane of Turkey's diplomats and that of the Dutch national chess team. From a member of the chess team, Jay learns that the Russian representative to the world chess tournament might be cheating. Elizabeth is able to use that information to convince China to make a pledge for Turkey; their example leads other nations under their influence to follow suit. Although the pledges are still $2 billion short of the goal, Turkey agrees to open its borders if the United States will support its request for a seat on the Security Council.
Credits
Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Madam Secretary season 5. HTML formatting and reference markers removed.