Henry, a bright young man from a wealthy family living in France during the early 1900s, returns home from a sanitarium cured of tuberculosis. He tries to join the army to serve his country but is declared unfit for service; for fear that he might spread the dreaded disease. The war is raging in the skies and France needs every pilot it can get. Henry, who learned to fly at his own expense, joins a squadron and starts chalking up victories. His reputation as a flying ace arouses jealousy and suspicion among his fellow pilots.