Capt. Newman (Gregory Peck) is a kindhearted military psychiatrist who decides whether disturbed soldiers are ready to return to combat in World War II. Of special concern to him are a war hero (Bobby Darin) plagued by guilt for the death of his friend, a commander whose casualties weigh heavily on his conscience and a captain rendered catatonic after hiding in a basement in Nazi Germany for a year. While Newman tries to mend their psyches, he has ethical doubts about returning them to battle.