In the aftermath of World War II, there is a struggle for the survival of U.S. Navy aviation during a time of reorganization and streamlining of the armed services, that involves a number of retired and active-duty United States Navy admirals.

The testimony of aviators helps prove the Navy's important role in the delivery of nuclear weapons; the Korean War becomes a chance for the Navy to prove itself again in conventional warfare and to reestablish the importance of aircraft carriers.