Eugene, an aspiring writer from Brooklyn, is drafted into the US Army during the final months of World War II. For his basic training, the Army sends him to Camp Shelby in Mississippi, where toil, bad food, and antisemitic jibes await. Eugene takes refuge in his sense of humor and in his diary, but they won't protect him in a battle of wills with an unstable drill sergeant.
Officer Lacy is an 18-year veteran of the New York Police Department who finds himself demoted from detective back to patrol duty for his violent tendencies and trigger-happy behavior.
A musician who lost his hands falls for a woman whose technologically adept friends help him make a comeback.
