A man travels the Mississippi on a steamboat, making money to hire a lawyer to clear his nephew's name; upholding the law in a small southern town, Judge Billy Priest also plays matchmaker for his nephew; a country doctor upsets his small town when he has an affair with a widow; a young man's efforts to become a hero are thwarted when he joins the Armed Forces but is posted in his home town; two prisoners escape to help an ex-con; two Marines become rivals for the love of a woman in World War I France. an affair with a widow; a young man's efforts to become a hero are thwarted when he joins the Armed Forces but is posted in his home town; two prisoners escape to help an ex-con; two Marines become rivals for the love of a woman in World War I France. an affair with a widow; a young man's efforts to become a hero are thwarted when he joins the Armed Forces but is posted in his home town; two prisoners escape to help an ex-con; two Marines become rivals for the love of a woman in World War I France.