The Proud and Profane

In 1943, Lee Ashley arrives in Noumea, New Caledonia, to entertain American servicemen as part of the Red Cross. She is the widow of a Paramarine lieutenant killed at Bloody Ridge. Kate Connors is wary that Lee might use this posting as a pilgrimage to learn about her husband.

Beyond entertainment, Red Cross women are expected to aid wounded soldiers. Lee initially refuses to participate in caring for the injured, clinging to her role as performer. Kate urges her to embrace the broader responsibilities of the service club.

A Marine Raider battalion arrives in New Caledonia. Colonel Colin Black objects to the Red Cross women treating his men softly and argues that wartime roles for women are limited. He asserts a harsh view of the women who follow them into war.

Black attempts to seduce Lee, and when she resists, he schemes to win her over by pretending he knew her late husband and had been with him before his death. The ruse is designed to provoke Lee's interest and trust.

Despite despising Black's arrogance, Lee finds herself drawn to him and begins to fall in love. The budding romance complicates her loyalty to the Red Cross and her sense of duty in wartime.

Navy chaplain Holmes is a changed, quiet, and saddened man under the strain of war. During a battle, Marines gather in prayer, and a Japanese soldier throws a grenade, killing several and wounding their sergeant. Holmes bears the weight of terrible guilt from the incident.

Black demotes the wounded sergeant, blaming him for exposing the unit. The bodies of the Marines shield the chaplain from further harm, underscoring the bond among the men even as Black's harsh judgment lingers over them. Holmes's guilt is intensified by the incident.

Private Eddie Wodcik, whom Kate has raised like a son, shows fierce loyalty to Lee and the unit. He protects her and demonstrates his strength by throwing a disrespectful sailor to the floor with jiu jitsu. His actions reveal a protective, tight-knit bond within the group.

Lee and Black share a dinner aboard an American warship, where a former neighbor now serving as a naval officer joins them. They discuss their pre-war civilian lives, exposing differences in background and class. The conversation deepens the complex dynamic between them.

During the dinner, Black opens up about his life of poverty in Montana as a half-Indian. This backstory adds layers to his brusque exterior and informs Lee's evolving feelings toward him. The admission challenges Lee's perceptions of power and vulnerability.

The Raider battalion is shipped out for a couple of months. Lee discovers she is pregnant, a revelation that complicates her relationship with Black and her role within the Red Cross. She also learns that Black has a wife in Washington, further entangling loyalties.

As the Raiders are at sea, Lee learns new information about her late husband's life and their marriage that she never knew before. The revelation reshapes her understanding of her lover's past and the realities of wartime marriages.

Hot-headed Eddie Wodcik discovers what the colonel did to Lee, adding another layer of tension to the already fraught relationships. The discovery affects trust and resolve among the Marines and Lee's standing within the unit.