 Based on a true World War II story, several B25 pilots and their crews volunteer for a secret mission which turns out to be the first bombing raid on mainland Japan , ingeniously and boldly launched from an aircraft carrier. Recently married Lt. Ted Lawson (Van Johnson) is among the volunteers who are placed under the command of Lt.Col. James Doolittle (Spencer Tracy). Attempting to reach recovery bases in China after successfully accomplishing the bombing, Lawson s bomber crashes on the Chinese coast where he and his crew are rescued by Chinese soldiers.