In Love and War

Three Marines on shore leave in San Francisco navigate the first currents of love and duty. Nico, a seasoned platoon sergeant, proposes to his pregnant girlfriend Andrea and marries her. Frankie, a perennial goof-off who drinks too much, fights with his stepfather Charlie Stanton who accuses him of cowardice. Alan, the wealthy intellectual, is engaged to Sue but ends the engagement after discovering her repeated infidelity.

Alan's family maintains a permanent suite at an elite hotel, and Nico and Andrea arrive as newlyweds seeking privacy. Alan discreetly has the staff charge all expenses to his family's account and hands the key to the couple for their wedding night. Frankie protests, feeling the gesture crosses lines of class and pride. The moment foreshadows later conflicts among the friends.

Lorraine, a WAVE who is in love with Frankie, introduces Alan to her roommate Kalai, a nurse of Hawaiian French heritage. Kalai and Alan quickly feel a mutual attraction. Kalai reveals that her parents were killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor, adding a personal layer to their budding romance.

They all go to Lorraine's apartment, where Frankie first passes out, then wakes up screaming at the thought of returning to the war. Lorraine decides to leave him, while Kalai and Alan profess their love for each other. Kalai sees Alan off, cursing the war for taking another loved one.

The three men return to the Pacific front. Frankie initially shows cowardice, and Nico slaps some sense into him, rekindling his resolve to fight. The bond among the men remains strong as they face the brutal realities of combat.

Frankie proves his bravery when he saves Alan and is honored for his heroism. He later sends the medal and a letter of recognition home. His mother stands up to his stepfather and tells him never to disrespect Frankie again.

Alan becomes ill with dengue fever and is briefly incapacitated. A wounded Japanese soldier calls for water, but Nico shoots him, revealing a hidden grenade trap. The moment crystallizes Alan's growing doubt about the futility of war.

When an advancing enemy tank threatens the platoon, Nico singlehandedly blows up the tank but dies from his wounds. Frankie, greatly changed by Nico's sacrifice, steps into Nico's leadership role and leads the remaining soldiers forward. The loss reverberates through the unit and shapes their futures.

Back home, Andrea gives birth to a baby boy and begins raising him with help from both her family and Nico's. Kalai continues her nursing work at the hospital, and learns that Sue was admitted after a suicide attempt following severe alcohol withdrawal. Kalai visits Sue to provide comfort, but Sue dies from shock.

Kalai visits Alan's father to ask for a way to contact him. He is wary at first, but softens when he realizes Kalai truly cares for his son and helps her persuade him to accept Alan as he is.

With the war over, Alan returns home and becomes a professor at the local university, welcomed by his father. He reunites with Kalai, beginning a new life together beyond the battlefield.

Frankie, now promoted to sergeant, brings Nico's last love letter home to Andrea and their young son. Andrea expresses a desire to see Frankie again, signaling a hopeful, if fragile, future for their relationships after the war.