During World War I, a small, diverse group of young American women answer the urgent call for nurses in France. Under the leadership of Mrs. Townsend, they convert an abandoned building into a hospital, creating a lifeline for wounded soldiers and civilians alike in the midst of chaos.
They are soon joined by Joy Meadows(/actor/anita-page), a teenage blonde who reveals she is nearly nineteen. Initially teased for her inexperience and privileged background, she is warmly welcomed by Barbara "Babs" Whitney, who helps ground the group and offers guidance as they adjust to the brutal realities of wartime care.
On the ground, Wally O'Brien, a determined fighter pilot, becomes a central figure for the nurses, while Joy forms a connection with a wounded New York soldier, Robbie Neil. Joy soon falls in love with him and begins to dream of a future that includes marriage and children, even as the hospital’s daily demands threaten to overwhelm her.
Months pass and the dynamics among the young nurses deepen. A night of social mixing turns tense when Rosalie Parker and Frank Stevens join a gathering that ends with a bomber attack and a dangerous ride home in a borrowed car. The moment stands out for the fragile balance between escape and responsibility: Wally O'Brien hopes for a carefree moment with Barbara "Babs" Whitney, but she resists a casual arrangement, seeking something more enduring. The morning after, Wally announces he will depart on a mission over Germany, prompting Babs to wonder what might have been had different choices been made.
The war’s harsh truths intrude when Joy learns that Robbie is already married, a revelation that devastates her and fuels a desperate desire to avoid heartbreak. She asks to be transferred, but circumstances keep pulling her back toward the front lines of care. The group endures another tragedy as older nurse Marion, known as “Kansas,” is killed by artillery during a move to a new location. Joy’s coping mechanisms shift toward partying, and she becomes entangled in Parisian social circles in ways that draw scandal and put her position at the hospital in jeopardy. In a moment of stubborn resolve, she pleads with Babs for help, and Babs secures an unofficial role for her so she can remain close to the work she loves.
Hope flickers again when Joy encounters Robbie among the patients; he confesses that he has always loved her and asks her to pray for him before he dies. The emotional strain, compounded by ongoing bombardments, pushes Joy to a breaking point as the hospital faces renewed danger. The siege casts a long shadow, and the facility suffers casualties as the war’s adversities close in.
Joy’s story culminates in tragedy as she dies after delivering a son. Babs steps up to care for the infant, contemplating naming him Wally as a tribute to the men who stood by them in the hardest days. When the war eventually ends, the adult Wally O'Brien returns from a German prisoner-of-war camp and, in a quiet moment, implicitly acknowledges his enduring affection for Babs, leaving open the possibility of a future reconciled by time and shared loss.
Throughout, the women discover that nursing is as much about resilience, courage, and emotional endurance as it is about clinical skill. They navigate leadership, heartbreak, and moral compromise, all while tending to the wounded and offering a semblance of normalcy amid the devastation of war. The hospital remains a testament to perseverance, turning a makeshift refuge into a small, enduring beacon of care and humanity in a world torn apart by conflict.
