When famed New York opera singer Renaldo Rossano is classified 1-A and inducted into the army, he leaves behind his beloved mother, his jealous co-star and girl friend, Francesca Landers, and manager, Albert Parkson Foster. As soon as Renaldo arrives at the train station near the army base, his expensive clothes and adoring fans irritate the receiving sergeant and other recruits. On the base, Renaldo is assigned to tough platoon leader Sgt. “Bat” Batterson. The opera-loving Bat is overjoyed to have his idol in his platoon and grants Renaldo special privileges, as he asks him to meet his sister Bridget, who sings on the radio. Hoping to use the situation to his advantage, Renaldo says that he will have his manager audition Bridget “if” he ever gets to New York again. Although company Capt. Burton Nordell Loring openly disapproves of Bat’s fawning over Renaldo, Bat assures Renaldo that there is nothing to worry about because sergeants run the army. Sometime later, Bat takes Renaldo into town to meet his girl friend, Patty Ware, and Bridget. Bridget is annoyed that Bat is pushing her career, so, instead of an aria, she performs the commercial jingle she sings on the radio. Renaldo is attracted to Bridget and tells her that she must “sing from the heart.” Patty and Bat then go to dinner, after Bat tells Renaldo to meet them at the restaurant. When Bridget and Renaldo finally show up, Renaldo, who finds Bridget more interesting than her voice, sings a love song as they dance. At just that moment, Loring arrives at the restaurant and sternly tells Bat that Renaldo is AWOL. Bat pretends to be angry with Renaldo and orders him back to the base, but after Loring leaves, Bat apologizes. Walking back to the barracks, Renaldo says that he has made a date with Bridget for Easter Sunday and asks Bat to think of something to save him from punishment duty. As they pass the company church, Renaldo hears a WAC organist playing “The Lord’s Prayer” and asks if he can accompany her. Seeing some officers listen appreciatively, the chaplain arranges for Renaldo to sing at Easter services. On Easter, Gen. Montville and his wife are delighted to meet Renaldo’s mother, who is paying a surprise visit to her son. Renaldo introduces his mother to Bat, Patty and Bridget, then, to Loring’s annoyance, the four drive into town with the general’s permission. That afternoon, Renaldo confesses to Bridget that he is in love with her and assures Bat that his intentions are honorable. Renaldo then telephones Albert in New York to ask him to give Bridget an audition on the same night as his planned recording session. Unknown to either of them, Francesca, who is visiting Albert, is listening in on an extension. Back at the base, three of Renaldo’s fellow soldiers, Artie Pilcer, Ben Jones and Horsey have become resentful of his special treatment, so Horsey complains to Loring. Bat later learns that his and Renaldo’s trip to New York for the audition is impossible because Loring has cancelled all passes prior to an upcoming visit by United Nations dignitaries. The resourceful Bat appeals to Mrs. Montville, who talks her husband into giving both Bat and Renaldo passes, in exchange for Renaldo performing for the dignitaries. In New York, as Albert and Francesca wait for Renaldo in the recording studio, the scheming Francesca upsets Bridget by saying that Renaldo frequently arranges for auditions for attractive women, but has always been in love with her. When Bat and Renaldo arrive, Francesca takes Bat aside and suggests that Renaldo used him to get to New York for the recording session because he needed money. Later, while Renaldo and Francesca are recording, Bat and Bridget discuss what they have been told and decide to leave. When the session is over, Renaldo finds a note from Bridget and becomes furious with Francesca. The next morning, Renaldo barely makes it back to the platoon by roll call and finds that Bat has turned against him. Because Renaldo stubbornly refuses to directly refute Francesca’s accusations, he soon finds himself mired in punishment duty. At first Pilcer, Jones and Horsey are delighted by Renaldo’s comeuppance, but later feel sorry for him. When Montville orders Loring to have Renaldo start rehearsing for the UN visit, Loring pressures Bat, who orders Renaldo to rehearse. He refuses, though, saying that he has no obligation to perform non-military duties. Because Loring has threatened Bat with reassignment to Iceland if Renaldo does not sing, Patty begs him to apologize to Renaldo, but Bat refuses. Meanwhile, in New York, Mrs. Rossano goes to see Bridget and tells her that Renaldo is really in love with her. Bridget then goes to the base and tells Renaldo she loves him, but he thinks that she is merely trying to help Bat. In the barracks that night, Renaldo accuses Bat of using Bridget, and the two men begin fighting. Just then, Loring arrives and orders them into the stockade. From adjoining cells, Renaldo and Bat talk and soon realize they had been wrong about each other and that Bridget really does love Renaldo. When Pilcer, Jones and Horsey stop by, Renaldo asks their help with his plan to have Patty talk with Mrs. Montville about convincing her husband to let Renaldo sing. Mrs. Montville, in turn, talks to the general but he insists that military discipline must be maintained. On the day of the UN visit, Bat and Renaldo are still in the stockade, thinking their situation is hopeless, when Renaldo spies his friend, French general Pierre Montal. When he starts to sing, Montal instantly recognizes his old friend’s voice. A short time later, Renaldo is performing for the dignitaries, much to Loring’s chagrin. Renaldo then asks Bridget to join him to sing a duet.