Lt. Kane is a dashing young film star who has completed his 25th mission and is ready to rotate back to the States and his movie career, when Gen. Savage, short on crew, asks him to fly one more mission. During the flight, Kane suffers severe burn damage to his face. Confronted with the prospect of suddenly being "ugly", he loses his composure and retreats into a cocoon of self-pity. Savage feels responsible and tries anything to rekindle Kane's confidence, not realizing the true source of his resentment.