The movie is framed as the reminiscences of Master Sergeant Martin Maher (Tyrone Power), who first came to West Point in 1898 as a civilian employee. Arriving from County Tipperary, Ireland, Marty begins as a waiter. When he realizes that enlisted men receive better treatment than do hired laborers, he immediately signs up and joins the U.S. Army. Capt. Koehler (Ward Bond), impressed with his boxing skills, wants him as an assistant in athletics instruction.