Tommy Blake, a tough student at the Garfield Reform School, is given a chance to straighten his life when a friend of his father's, John Frazier, offers to enroll him at the State Naval Academy. Tommy accepts the offer and soon befriends new recruits Steve Kendall, the son of a high-ranking naval officer, and Dick Brewster, a spoiled snob who complains about the academy's paltry two-dollar-a-week allowance. Though Steve works hard to excel at the academy, he falls behind in his chemistry exams and is threatened with expulsion. At the same time, Dick, growing increasingly impatient with the strictness of the naval academy, insults a cashier and is sent to the "coventry" for discipline. On visitor's day, the young recruits spend time with their families, except for Tommy, who is visited only by Frazier. Tommy eventually realizes that Frazier's real reason for visiting is to investigate the disappearance of one of Tommy's pals, Joey Martin, from Garfield