During a military reunion, three veterans discover they've been sending support payments for the same child.

During World War II, a young Italian girl (Carla) "comforted" three members of the U. S. Army Air Force at her home in the village of San Forino. When she found herself pregnant shortly after their squadron was transferred, Carla wrote each of the three men a letter implying that he was the father. And each responded by promising to send her a monthly allotment check. To save face in her village, Carla made up an imaginary husband, named him Capt. Eddie Campbell after a can of American soup and then claimed he was killed in action. With the three monthly checks coming in regularly for the past 20 years, Carla has been able to live comfortably and send her daughter, Gia, to a fashionable Swiss boarding school. But now she learns that the three men--Phil Newman, Justin Young, and Walter Braddock--are bringing their wives and children to San Forino for a squadron reunion. Stunned by the realization that each man will expect to see his child, Carla's distress turns to panic when she discovers that her lover, Vittorio, has suggested to Gia that she return for the happy event and meet her father's Air Force buddies. When one and all descend on the village, Carla makes a gallant attempt to preserve everyone's illusions--but to no avail, for Gia and the three couples learn the truth about Mrs. Campbell and her "dead" husband. Once their anger has subsided, however, the men and their wives share a paternal concern when the heartbroken girl runs off to join a married man on a trip to Brazil. Racing after the fleeing girl, they bring her back to San Forino for the dedication of the chapel the squadron is presenting to the village. At the ceremony, Carla tries to confess the truth, but she is stopped by the Americans, who have united to preserve the name of "Captain Campbell" and his courageous "wife."