South Sea Woman

In a San Diego Marine base courtroom, Master Gunnery Sergeant James O'Hearn is tried for desertion, theft, scandalous conduct and destruction of property during wartime. He refuses to testify or plead guilty or not guilty, and the proceedings unfold with a string of witness testimonies. The film continually cuts between the courtroom and flashbacks that illustrate the alleged acts.

Ginger Martin recounts meeting O'Hearn and his friend Davy White in Shanghai two weeks before Pearl Harbor. The trio's camaraderie and the looming war set the stage for later tensions. The events reveal the bond and competing loyalties that drive the narrative.

White volunteers to marry Ginger so she can be evacuated from China at government expense as war approaches. Ginger's reaction reveals the strain of conflicting loyalties between romance and duty. The plan foreshadows the danger they will face together.

O'Hearn tracks Ginger down to her nightclub; when the club's manager objects to Ginger quitting, a brawl erupts. The altercation heightens the tension between the men and sets the stage for the subsequent escape attempt. Ginger's position becomes precarious as loyalties fracture.

The trio escape aboard a small motorboat, but their flight ends when a fight breaks out and Ginger accidentally disables the vessel. They drift until a passing junk rescues them, illustrating how fragile their plan is. The voyage marks a turning point toward greater peril in war-torn Asia.

They are put ashore on the Vichy French island of Namou after a chain of misadventures. To avoid jail, the Marines persuade the local governor that they are deserters, and they are quartered in a hotel/brothel run by Lillie Duval. Tensions rise as their relationships and loyalties are tested.

A Dutch yacht captain, Van Dorck, calls at Namou; O'Hearn discovers he is a Nazi plotting radar stations and invasion plans. O'Hearn plots to seize the ship with allies like Jimmylegs Donovan and a bank embezzler, while White refuses to join and Ginger questions their relationship. The island's political dynamics complicate their escape plans.

White refuses to join the plot against Van Dorck, expressing his desire to desert and stay with Ginger. Ginger's feelings become conflicted as she considers his loyalty versus their future. O'Hearn presses his plan forward despite the moral ambiguities.

O'Hearn coerces White onto Van Dorck's yacht at gunpoint, solidifying the plan to seize the ship. The act marks a dramatic turn from personal drama to armed resistance. Ginger remains involved as events accelerate toward confrontation.

Back in the courtroom, O'Hearn breaks his silence to exonerate White, turning the investigation on its head. The revelation reframes the desertion charges and heightens the stakes of the trial. The courtroom sequence emphasizes themes of loyalty and sacrifice.

Van Dorck and a search party catch up with O'Hearn and his crew; he kills them all and seizes the moment to overthrow the Namou governor. They load the island armory onto the yacht, and Ginger slips aboard as a patriotic stowaway. The stakes escalate as they prepare to join Guadalcanal's fighting.

The group encounters Japanese landing craft escorted by a destroyer. O'Hearn engages the enemy, and White, though unwilling to follow, climbs the destroyer's smokestack and detonates explosives. He dies heroically, paying the ultimate price for his loyalty and courage.

The battle ends with O'Hearn and Ginger as the remaining survivors. The rest of the crew die heroically, underscoring the film's themes of sacrifice and resilience. The survivors reflect on their compromised plans and the cost of war.

The court martial clears O'Hearn of the charges and recommends a posthumous Medal of Honor for White. The exoneration contrasts with the personal losses suffered during the mission. The outcome reshapes their futures and honors White's sacrifice.

In the aftermath, O'Hearn and Ginger admit their love for each other. The relationship endures despite the years of tension and danger they've faced. The film closes on a note of personal connection amid the war's ruin.