Navy officer Frank Beardsley (Henry Fonda) is struggling to raise his 10 children in the wake of his wife's death. Frank soon begins dating Helen North (Lucille Ball), a widowed nurse with eight children of her own. After learning of their similar situations, the two are reluctant to pursue a relationship. But with the help of a mutual friend, Darrel Harrison (Van Johnson), the two eventually fall in love and must decide about forming one big, unconventional family.