At an Army barracks in Hawaii in the days preceding the attack on Pearl Harbor, lone-wolf soldier and boxing champion "Prew" Prewitt refuses to box, preferring to play the bugle instead. Hard-hearted Capt. Holmes subjects Prew to a grueling series of punishments while, unknown to Holmes, the gruff but fair Sgt. Warden engages in a clandestine affair with the captain's mistreated wife.—Jwelch5742