This film presents a dramatization of the wartime heroics of naval doctor Corydon M. Wassell (Gary Cooper), who is stationed in the East Indies during a Japanese attack on the USS Marblehead. After the less seriously wounded soldiers are evacuated to Australia, Wassell stays in Java to save those left behind. As the Japanese advance, he risks his life and defies orders in an attempt to rescue as many as possible. His actions are later recognized in a radio address given by President Roosevelt.