Best friends Clay Clayburn (James Craig) and Will Denning (Guy Madison) graduate from West Point only to find themselves fighting on opposite sides of the Civil War. When the two men meet each other in combat, neither knows it as each is in an artillery position hundreds of yards from the other. However, the love of Clay's life, Kathy Summers (Barbara Payton), does know and tries desperately to save her two good friends from killing each other.