Along with his best friends Allan Ross and Frankie Davis, Danny "Pinky" Scariano, a barber in the small town of Mapleton, Ohio, dreams of the day when he will be inducted into the service and given the chance to fly planes for the Air Force. As soon as the newly married Allan receives his much-anticipated induction notice, his wife Dorothy declares that she plans to go with him to aviation school and training camp. A short time later, Pinky and Frankie get their induction papers and are sent with Allan to the Air Force academy. There the cadets are issued uniforms and given a battery of tests measuring, among other things, their coordination and reflexes. The tests are grueling, and Allan begins to wonder if Frankie will be able to pass them. Frankie, whose hometown bride Jane is living with Dorothy near camp, watches with concern as some of the other cadets receive "wash-out tickets" and is relieved when he is passed over. One of the cadets, Peter Clark, convinces the school's review board that his poor scores were due to the fact that his sister had just told him that his girl friend was seeing another man. When Pinky is called before the board and informed that he has failed his depth perception test, he breaks down in tears. Because of his failed test, Pinky is classified a gunner and ships out for separate training, while Frankie, Allan and their friends, Irving Miller from Brooklyn and Bobby Grills, a farmer from Washington State, are assigned to pilot school. During the cadets' first night flight, one of the planes crashes, but the identity of the pilot is not known. The cadets nervously await the news of the dead, and Allan is devastated when he realizes that Frankie was the doomed man. With a heavy heart, Allan goes to tell the tragic news to Jane, who had decided not to tell Frankie that she was pregnant. Later, the cadets, having just graduated from flight school, are assigned to their units. To his joy, Pinky is assigned to the same plane as Allan and Irv, and together with their five crew mates, they name their craft "Winged Victory." The fliers are soon given orders to join the fighting in the South Pacific, but, before leaving, they enjoy one last reunion with their wives in San Francisco. Although the men refuse to reveal that they are shipping out the next morning, the women know the truth and struggle to accept the long wait ahead of them. Later, at their South Pacific base, the crew of the "Winged Victory," exhausted from an all-night patrol, join the other crews in a Christmas celebration. In the midst of the festivities, an air raid siren sounds, and the planes take off for battle. A tire on the "Winged Victory" is damaged during combat, and Pinky is injured. After the plane makes a rough but safe landing at the base and Pinky is rushed away in an ambulance, Allan learns that his wife has given birth to a son. Allan shares his good news with Pinky, whose recovery is assured, and before taking off to rejoin the battle, writes a letter to his son, explaining the importance of his mission and his hopes for the future.