So Proudly We Hail

A group of nurses evacuated from the front arrives in Australia, where Davey faints and remains in a coma. An officer asks the others to describe their journey, initiating the film's flashback sequence.

The nurses prepare to depart for the Philippines from California. Joan reveals she has two fiancés, and Davey covers for her to avoid trouble. They board a boat just as war breaks out and head toward Hawaii, only to be rerouted again.

The convoy confronts the onset of war, reaches Hawaii, and is rerouted to the Philippines. One boat is sunk and survivors are taken aboard the nurses' boat, including Olivia, who proves rude and uncaring. Davey meets John Summers aboard and, over time, they grow closer; Joan meets Kansas, a nervous marine.

A Christmas party spins with dancing: Joan and Kansas, as well as Davey and John, share moments. Olivia reveals she was supposed to be married that day, but her fiancé died at Pearl Harbor, fueling her vow to kill as many Japanese as possible.

The nurses reach the Philippines, but Manila is declared an open city and the group moves to Bataan. Supplies run low as they strive to care for patients, with Olivia tending to wounded Japanese POWs but unable to kill. Davey and John share a kiss, renewing their connection.

As Japanese forces advance, Olivia sacrifices herself by detonating a grenade to clear a path for the others and secure their escape. The group evacuates toward a jungle hospital area to continue the fight for survival.

At the jungle hospital near a town, Ma endures grief as her son's legs are amputated, testing the unit's resolve. Kansas reunites with Joan, now a leader among Filipino fighters, while Davey and John reconnect and support each other amid the siege.

Word of a convoy brings hope, but Davey learns the front line has collapsed and reinforcements are unlikely. John speaks of a secret evacuation plan, but increasing bombardment threatens any chance of rescue.

A bombing raid destroys much of the base, forcing the nurses and others to evacuate to a fortress island. Joan knocks Kansas unconscious during a stand against surrender as the island endures relentless bombing, the so-called Gibraltar of the East.

John and Davey decide to marry despite military regulations, with a makeshift ceremony conducted by the base chaplain. Soon after, John and fellow soldiers depart for Mindanao to secure supplies.

The base's finances are burned as plans for a secret evacuation are set in motion. Nurses are told they will be evacuated first; Davey refuses to leave, having promised John she would stay if he could return, while Joan distributes belongings to patients and Kansas warns that he never dies.

Back in the present, an officer reads a heartfelt letter from John stating that he is alive and still fighting for Davey. Davey wakes from her coma at the end of the flashback and whispers his name, signaling the story's return to the present.