Captain Newman, head of the neuropsychiatric section at a Southwestern Army air base during World War II, is badgered by his commanding officer because he grounds so many men and is slow in returning them to active duty. Newman is assisted by Lieut. Francie Corum, a nurse with whom he has an affair; Lieut. Grace Blodgett, another nurse, who provides the patients with a "mother" image; and Corp. Jackson Laibowitz, a New Jersey Jew and Newman's chief orderly, who, although untrained in medical arts, has an innate understanding of human behavior. Among Newman's patients is Colonel Bliss, who has a guilt complex about the many men he has sent into combat never to return. Bliss does not respond to treatment and ultimately commits suicide by jumping off a water tower. Corporal Tompkins, another patient, considers himself a coward for failing to rescue a buddy from a burning plane, although Tompkins has been decorated for his bravery in 34 missions. He is cured by Newman, only to be killed in combat upon returning to active duty. Captain Winston, brought in in a catatonic state, is successfully treated with the help of his wife and set on the path to complete recovery. Newman, Corum, Laibowitz, and Blodgett continue their discouraging job of curing men and sending them back to the front.