Singer Joan Whitney, called the "Sweetheart of the Navy" by sailors, is struggling to re-open the Snug Harbor Cafe. After her partner, Richard, skips town with the money owed to their creditors, the club opens unceremoniously. Two of Joan's sailor friends, Andy and Pete, offer to help her raise money for the club by staging a fight with Bumper Martin, boxing champion of the fleet. At Andy's request, straight-laced yeoman Eddie Harris replaces him in the upcoming fight. Andy and Pete then intimidate or coerce the sailors into betting on the fight, promising to give Joan the profits. Navy Commander Lodge, who is grooming Eddie for the Naval Academy at Annapolis, is against the fight, however, and Joan decides to "vamp" Eddie to make him fight.