Everything seems to be going well for Jeff McCormick, a young army officer who gets stationed in Hawaii during the onset of World War II. He’s been ready for a fresh start and is enjoying dating his first serious girlfriend, a Japanese American girl named Leela Matsu. But as their relationship develops, the past he keeps trying to bury threatens to bleed into his existence.
As Jeff struggles with immaturity and toxic masculinity that mirrors contemporary American society, he is further confronted with the complexities of dating someone of a different race and not being sure if he wants to be a bachelor or a family man. Is his relationship with Leela feasible in the shadow of impending war with Japan? Does he want to move forward or stay the same, like the two sides of America that always conflict?