Hap Smith, a nightclub performer, has a new act since his former partner Chick Allen enlisted in the military. Hap is now a clownish caricature of a soldier, thanks to his charming new female girlfriend. When Chick organizes a soldier exhibition at Fort Benning, he realizes he'll need the assistance of his former partner—so Hap impersonates a hapless actual soldier to get access to the installation, but circumstances force them to prolong the masquerade, resulting in an increasingly convoluted Army-sized SNAFU.