China Doll

Captain Cliff Brandon flies supplies to Allied troops in Kunming, China. When not flying, he trains a new crew and spends long hours in a local bar. His heavy drinking contrasts with the danger and discipline of wartime aviation.

One drunken night, an elderly Chinese farmer from Chongqing offers him a girl, Shu-Jen. Brandon pays the man but initially dismisses her, only to wake up with Shu-Jen waiting at his door. The encounter upends his plans and introduces a fragile, improvised family to his life.

Father Cairns disapproves of the arrangement and Brandon tries to send Shu-Jen away. The priest explains that returning her to the old man would deprive him of essential money, so he persuades Brandon to keep her. Brandon reluctantly accepts Shu-Jen as a housekeeper rather than a wife.

Ellington, a young Chinese boy who speaks English, serves as Brandon's live-in interpreter and becomes entangled in a plan to sell Shu-Jen into prostitution. Father Cairns intervenes to protect her and maintains the fragile household in wartime China. The tension between duty and mercy shapes their early days together.

Over time, Brandon and Shu-Jen fall in love, forming a deep personal bond amid the war. Shu-Jen discovers she is pregnant, signaling a future beyond duty and danger. Their relationship becomes a quiet anchor in a world of conflict.

Brandon and Shu-Jen marry in a traditional Chinese ceremony, sealing their partnership despite wartime upheaval. The couple plans for a life together as their family grows. The pregnancy continues as they await what the future holds.

Brandon is transferred to another base, leaving Shu-Jen behind. She gives birth to their daughter during this separation, expanding their fragile family. The child becomes a living link to Brandon's life back home.

After periods apart, Brandon and Shu-Jen are reunited with their daughter, at least for a time, before new duties pull him away again. The reunion underscores the personal stakes behind their wartime service. The family unit remains fragile but hopeful.

During a dangerous mission, the base is attacked and the returning flight is ordered to divert to another airfield. Brandon disobeys, landing at the original airfield instead. The decision places him at the heart of a deadly, split-second choice.

Brandon cannot locate his wife or Ellington after the attack and orders his crew to evacuate with the survivors. He then discovers Shu-Jen and Ellington are dead, while his daughter survives, still bearing her father's dog tag as a link to the fallen crew. The moment caps a brutal turn in their family saga.

With no other option, Brandon mans an anti-aircraft gun and shoots down enemy aircraft before being killed. His sacrifice closes his wartime chapter with a haunting sense of duty and loss. The act cements his place as a tragic hero of the family saga.

In 1957, Father Cairns informs Brandon's former crewmates' wives that their daughter has survived. She was found in a British Hong Kong orphanage, still bearing her father's dog tag as a link to the fallen crew. The hopes of reunion linger as they await her arrival in the United States.