Saigon

World War II has ended, and Major Larry Briggs learns his friend Captain Mike Perry only has two months to live due to a head injury. To give Mike a memorable send-off, Larry and Sergeant Pete Rocco vow to show him a good time before he dies.

For a $10,000 fee, Larry accepts a flying assignment with Alex Maris, a notorious profiteer. He hopes the gig will fund their final adventures with Mike and keep him entertained during his last months.

Maris' secretary Susan Cleaver boards the aircraft, and Mike immediately falls for her. Larry convinces Susan to play along with their setup, but she has real feelings for him.

Maris arrives half an hour late with the police in pursuit, threatening the mission. Larry takes off, but an emergency landing becomes necessary after both of the aircraft's engines fail.

After landing, the trio checks into a small hotel and is soon shadowed by Police Lieutenant Keon, who suspects they are smugglers. The tension grows as Keon closes in on their movements.

Seeing Mike pursue Susan, Larry decides the romance must end and orders Susan to leave immediately. She is carrying $500,000 posted for Maris, complicating the moral stakes of the arrangement.

When Mike longs for Susan, Larry relents, but uses blackmail to keep her seeing him, threatening to expose her to Keon if she refuses. The leverage leaves Susan caught between love and danger.

Sailing to Saigon on a boat, Larry tricks Keon by stowing the money in an envelope and mailing it to himself, thereby deflecting suspicion from Susan. The ruse buys them time as they travel toward the destination.

Arriving in Saigon, Larry realizes he loves Susan, even as Mike has proposed to her. The personal tensions intensify as rival affections collide with the dangerous money scheme.

At Susan's hotel, an enraged Maris and his valet Simon hold Larry hostage, demanding the posted money. The situation tightens as the clock ticks toward a violent resolution.

Pete bursts in and fights Simon, but the struggle ends with both men tumbling off a balcony to their deaths. The murder increases the peril surrounding Susan and the money.

Susan secretly arranges to retrieve the money from the post office and returns it to Maris. The move removes a crucial source of power from the profiteer, and the plan begins to unravel.

Mike and Maris confront each other. In a gunfight, both men are killed.

After Mike's funeral, Larry and Susan begin a new life together. Larry leaves behind the dangerous world of profiteers and deceit. Susan's future is tied to Larry as they start anew.