Peggy (Jeanne Crain) is an exuberant young woman married to Jason Taylor (William Holden), a veteran going to college on the G.I. Bill in hopes of becoming a teacher. While Jason takes classes, the couple has little money and needs a place to stay. They are recommended to Henry Barnes (Edmund Gwenn), a philosophy professor who has planned to commit suicide. However, meeting the Taylors revives Barnes, as their positive attitudes make him realize he still has a purpose in life.