Miriam Wilkins Mona Freeman is a high-energy WWII-era activist who drags her family into campaigns for the war effort without asking for permission. Her zeal, infectious as it is, soon pulls the Wilkins clan into a tangle of mistaken identities, secret letters, and unexpected romance. Her father, Judge Harry Wilkins Edward Arnold, and her mother, Edie Wilkins Mary Philips, watch in bemused disbelief as Miriam’s latest scheme unfolds at their doorstep with a complete stranger in tow.
Lieutenant William Seacroft [William Holden] arrives on leave for two days, fresh from Italy where he flew 25 missions over Germany as the bombardier of a B-26 bomber. He claims to have fallen in love with Ruth Wilkins, the Wilkins’ 22-year-old daughter, and he hopes to meet her for the first time in person. Ruth Wilkins Joan Caulfield has recently told her parents she is engaged to another man, her longtime boyfriend Albert Kummer Billy De Wolfe, but the romance Bill pursues enters a confounding web when Miriam admits she has written Bill 60 letters using Ruth’s name and photograph.
As Ruth tries to sort out the truth, she wants to tell Bill the domestic misrepresentation right away, but she struggles to find the right moment. When she finally does, she and Bill share an evening of theater, dinner, and dancing that leaves her torn between honesty and the pull of their developing connection. Ruth resolves to tell Albert the truth after Bill departs for the Pacific, then reads Miriam’s letters and comes to a difficult realization about her own feelings.
The next morning, Ruth tries to rein in Bill’s courting, insisting he bring along his younger sister, Martha Seacroft Virginia Welles, to keep Bill’s romantic impulses in check. Bill invites Albert along as well, but the situation grows tense as Bill repeatedly steals moments with Ruth, much to Albert’s irritation. A stumble at a subway station leads to Albert’s arrest for attempting to enter a station without paying, further muddying the relationships at the Wilkins home.
Into this delicate balance steps Bill’s friend, Sergeant Chuck Vincent Kevin O'Morrison, who has his own recent history with Martha. Martha’s breakup with Chuck adds complexity to a luncheon that becomes crowded with emotion, bravado, and awkward humor. Eventually Ruth and Bill announce their engagement, though the timeline of truth-telling remains uncertain. The two men face different futures: Bill and Chuck are slated to become instructors in Florida, while Ruth’s loyalties—and her heart—are pulled in another direction.
A pivotal moment arrives when Ruth’s father, the judge, conducts a formal ceremony for Bill and Martha after the couple reconciles and marries. Yet the plot takes another turn as Ruth confesses that she only agreed to marry Bill because he was returning to combat, a truth Miriam inadvertently reveals to Bill. He absorbs the revelation with quiet acceptance, and after Martha and Chuck marry, Ruth and Bill are wed by the judge before heading to Florida. The film closes on a note of ambiguity and anticipation, with a sailor’s hopeful approach at the door and Miriam quickly blurting out the name of the sailor who awaits Ruth.
This story brims with wartime energy, family dynamics, and the comic shuffles of romance under pressure. It traces how good intentions — amplified by a teenager’s zeal and a community’s wartime spirit — can collide with deception, honesty, and the slow, sometimes painful process of choosing what truly matters. The result is a portrait of resilience and adaptation in a world where letters cross lines, engagements are tested, and families learn to navigate the fine line between duty to country and duty to each other.
