During World War I, Mal Andrews and Tap Johnson, American flyers attached to the Royal Air Force Squadron, scold their rakish buddy Jim Watson, who is having an affair after only being married for a year. General Trafford Jones arrives at Air Force headquarters to announce that the squadron is a disgrace to the flying corps. He orders Jim to go alone to shoot down an enemy balloon, a mission from which Jim knows he will not return. At the last moment, Mal surreptitiously joins Jim in his plane. The fliers battle with the enemy balloon, and Jim is shot, but Mal manages to fly the plane and destroy the German balloon before landing. He then sends the plane back up so it will appear as if Jim has died like a hero. Back at headquarters, Carla, Jim’s widow, arrives in search of him, but the men believe that she is “Pom Pom,” Jim’s mistress. The fliers tell Carla of Jim’s death and of the wife who must never know about Pom Pom’s existence, and Mal gives Carla a watch and the letters that Pom Pom had sent to Jim. Mal, who knows nothing about women nor liquor, and a distraught Carla spend the evening together. When they end up at Carla’s apartment, she scolds him for pretending to be a tough guy when he actually has been dumping his liquor in flower pots, and she admits to having done the same. Mal, by revealing his true identity as a romantic novice rather than a ladies’ man, wins Carla’s heart. Back at the aviators’ headquarters, Tap scolds Mal for spending time with Jim’s former girl friend, and Mal promises to stop seeing Pom Pom. Carla later arrives to visit Mal, who receives her coldly and accuses her of sullying him before his next mission. Major Burke of Army Intelligence calls on Jim and asks him questions about Pom Pom, who is about to be accused of espionage. Mal denies her guilt until Burke brings in the real Pom Pom, Alice Lester. The men believe that Carla is an impostor, and when Tap is announced dead, Mal realizes that Carla had overheard the details of his mission. Mal goes to Carla’s apartment intending to shoot her, but he realizes that he loves her more than ever, and they are caught trying to escape. Back at headquarters, Carla reveals her true identity as Jim’s wife and produces “Pom Pom’s” letters, which prove Lester’s guilt. On the flying field, as Mal prepares for his next mission, the lovers bid farewell and promise that they will wait for each other either in this world or the next. More on Wikipedia
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