Topper Harley wakes up from a nightmare he is having about the event when Lt. Commander Block asks him to return to active duty as a pilot in the U.S. Navy, to help on a new top secret mission: Operation Sleepy Weasel, commanded by the incompetent and oblivious Admiral Benson. Harley starts to show some psychological problems, especially when his father is mentioned. His therapist, Ramada, tries to keep Topper from flying, but she relents, and also starts to build a budding romance with Topper. Meanwhile, Topper gets into a rivalry with another fighter pilot, Kent Gregory, a former lover of Ramada and Mailman's son, who blames Buzz Harley for his father's death and believes Topper cannot handle combat pressure.