Doris lives with her rough Coast Guardsman father. He has plans for her to marry an up and coming officer, but there is competition when a new, brash, Guardsman enters the picture. Dad hates the new guy, mostly because he is like himself.
The son of a deceased Coast Guard hero is raised by a Coast Guard NCO, who also has a son the same age. When they get older both are accepted into the Coast Guard Academy, but the hero's son winds up being thrown out, bringing disgrace to his adopted family.
Railroad engineer Chuck Long finds the showgirl he's about to marry was the subject of scandal and swears off women. He joins a coast guard unit stationed at a lighthouse, and one day must rescue a drowning girl that turns out to be his old fiancée.
Lieutenant Commander Che Barnes, who died in 2009 after the plane he was flying was struck by U.S. Marine Corps helicopters, is remembered by his two brothers for his passion for flying and saving lives. Barnes and his fellow Coasties and U.S. Marines died in the line of duty. This is Che's story.