David Charleston, once a world renowned journalist, now lives alone maintaining the Thunder Rock lighthouse in Lake Michigan. He doesn't cash his paychecks and has no contact other than the monthly inspector's visit. When alone, he imagines conversations with those who died when a 19th century packet ship with some 60 passengers sank. He imagines their lives, their problems, their fears and their hopes. In one of these conversations, he recalls his own efforts in the 1930s when he desperately tried to convince first his editors, and later the public, of the dangers of fascism and the inevitability of war. Few would listen. One of the passengers, a spinster, tells her story of seeking independence from a world dominated by men. There's also the case of a doctor who is banished for using unacceptable methods. David has given up on life, but the imaginary passengers give him hope for the future.
En Polonia, durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, un joven pianista huye de su país para continuar su carrera profesional. Al poco tiempo conoce a Carole Peters, una periodista estadounidense de la que se enamora y con la que viaja a Inglaterra. Pero, al llegar allí, se alista en un escuadrón aéreo polaco y vuelve a su país para rescatar a sus camaradas. Carole no duda en acompañarle.
Viéndose acusado de un asesinato que no cometió, Jimmy, un ladrón de poca monta, huye a Inglaterra. Allí se enrola en el ejército y se enamora de Sally, la bella hija de su sargento. Cuando el regimiento es enviado a China para luchar contra unos bandidos, tendrá que demostrar su valentía para poder conquistarla.
