The Last Flight of Noah’s Ark

Unemployed and deep in gambling debt, Noah Dugan visits his old friend Stoney who runs a small airfield. Stoney offers him a dangerous assignment: fly a cargo of animals to a remote South Pacific island aboard a B-29 bomber. The promise of steady work pulls him away from his troubles and into the mission.

Bernie Lafleur is introduced as the primary missionary who has raised the animals at an orphanage. She and Dugan initially dislike each other. The two orphans, Julie and Bobby, are close to Bernie, and Bobby resents Dugan after seeing him mistreat one of the animals.

As the aircraft prepares to taxi for takeoff, Bobby decides to stow away aboard to ensure the animals are cared for, and Julie follows. Their hidden boarding adds tension to the crew and foreshadows the group dynamics aboard the flight.

During the flight, the bomber veers off course and runs low on fuel. Dugan is forced to crash-land on an uncharted island that Bobby spotted, plunging the group into a survival situation far from civilization.

On the island, the group encounters two elderly Japanese holdout sailors who have lived there for 35 years. Bernie wins their friendship and trust, and she learns one of them is named Cleveland, named after an American city by his mother.

The sailors explain there is little chance of rescue. They propose a plan to reach civilization by turning the B-29 upside down to create a stable, watertight vessel and to sew a sail for propulsion.

Bernie volunteers to craft a sail from the Japanese battle flag gifted by the sailors. Her work makes the aircraft into a seaworthy makeshift vessel, and she joins the effort to transform Noah's Ark for the voyage.

As they work together, Dugan and Bernie begin to fall in love. Bernie paints the name Noah's Ark on the converted aircraft, which both amuses and vexes Dugan, but he eventually accepts it as their vessel.

At Bobby's insistence, the animals are brought aboard Noah's Ark. The crew prepares to depart, setting sail on their unlikely craft toward civilization.

After many days at sea with no sign of civilization, Bernie is inspired by the Noah's Ark story and suggests sending a duck with a message asking for rescue. The plan embodies a beacon of hope, even as the journey wears on.

During the voyage, Bobby falls overboard while attempting to fish, and Dugan dives to save him. He pulls the boy clear of a circling shark, reinforcing the bond between them and the crew's reliance on each other.

The United States Coast Guard Cutter Mellon arrives, with the duck aboard Noah's Ark. The cutter rescues the group and tows Noah's Ark toward Oahu, offering a final lifeline to civilization.

Noah's Ark is towed to Oahu, ending the voyage and reuniting the crew with civilization. The unlikely voyage concludes with the bonds formed under hardship and the promise of a new life.