On the eve of WW-I the French Navy ship Lafayette returns to its Toulon base for one night. There is no shore leave, although wives are permitted to come to a party. The strain of command on the older captain and his new, young wife is very great.

Aspiring author Prudence "Prue" Severn leaves her staid home for the wild life in New York's artistic Greenwich Village community. Her concerned family hires two thrill-seeking ex-doughboys, bow-tied Bartley "Bart" Greer and his trigger-happy buddy Lee, to look after her and, hopefully, persuade her to come home. They move into Prue's apartment building, where she lives with a sculptress pal. Although interested in Bart, Prue senses he is being paid to watch over her-- so she decides to elope with the handsome Rolf.

Rowdy Dyer, the weak but tough-acting son of wealthy rancher Dynamite Dyer, greets the stage in which his sister Clare is arriving by disguising himself as a bandit. He fires a shot that causes the horses to bolt. Cowpuncher Arizona Allen stops the horses but is shot at by passenger Dale Collins, the bank manager. Dynamite hires Arizona, and Clare asks him to look after Rowdy. Arizona saves Rowdy from being fleeced by gambler Buck Zaney, thus incurring Zaney's enmity.