Top of the World

Air Force major Lee Gannon is disappointed when he is reassigned from California to Ladd Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska because he is too old to continue flying jets. Gannon resigns himself to the assignment, however, after discovering that his ex-wife Virgie, about whom he is curious despite their bitter divorce, has a nightclub in Fairbanks. During the flight to Ladd, which is the Air Force's northernmost base, Gannon's plane encounters engine trouble and he and the crew are forced to parachute to safety. They are rescued by Maj. Brad Cantrell, the organizer of Operation Deep Freeze, an experimental weather project to which Gannon has been assigned. Upon arriving at the base, Cantrell is met by public relations lieutenant Mary Ross, who is in love with him despite his infatuation with Virgie. The next morning, Cantrell briefs the men on Operation Deep Freeze, which is designed to gather weather data to prepare the military in case of a northern attack by the Soviet Union, and will be established on Ice Island, an immense ice floe near the North Pole. Cantrell is irritated by Gannon's contempt for the project, and advises him to take the weather seriously, as it can be a deadly enemy. Cantrell is also annoyed when Gannon aggressively flirts with Mary, and after Mary informs Cantrell that she cannot wait for him forever, she agrees to go out with Gannon. At her Klondike Club, Virgie is astonished to see Gannon and, begging him to leave her alone, informs him that she intends to marry Cantrell. After he escorts Mary home, Gannon admits that Virgie is his ex-wife, and Mary pesters him for information about her. The next day, Cantrell informs Gannon that he has been promoted to colonel, and Gannon, feeling contrite, goes to Virgie and warns her that he will inform Cantrell about her past if she continues to pursue him. Virgie then asserts that she regrets her past mistakes and wants to remarry him, but Gannon storms out. The next morning, Cantrell puts Gannon in charge of the operation and assigns Lt. Skippy McGuire, Capt. Harding, Capt. Cochrane, Lt. Johnson and M/Sgt. Cappi as his crew. Gannon and his men fly to the island and establish their camp, where they will live for six weeks. Back at Ladd, Cantrell informs Mary that he is going to marry Virgie, and she gives him an affidavit left by Gannon. Cantrell then confronts Virgie about the affidavit, which states that after a whirlwind courtship in London during World War II, Virgie and Gannon married. Virgie gave birth to their baby girl after Gannon was shot down over Germany, and when he returned home, he learned that the baby was dead and that Virgie was with another man. Through her tears, Virgie tells Cantrell that she was informed about Gannon's presumed death while she was in labor, and that after the baby's birth, she was so distraught that she attempted suicide. The baby was forcibly taken from her and killed in an air raid, and although Virgie told Gannon about the circumstances when he returned, he refused to believe her. Destroying the affidavit, Cantrell assures Virgie that he still wants to marry her. Meanwhile, Gannon and his crew suffer through a fierce storm at the camp, and Cantrell realizes that it has been more than thirty-six hours since their last contact. The men grow worried when the ice floe begins breaking up and the generator is demolished. Their plane falls into the water, and as more ice breaks up, Gannon worries that there will no longer be the 1,500 feet required by Ladd's C-47 planes for a runway. Cantrell soon sends rescue planes to search for the men, and upon finding them, the planes drop supplies and a radio. Gannon informs Cantrell that there is not enough room for a plane to land, and, unable to get a helicopter in time, Cantrell orders a C-47 to take a glider to the island. Virgie enters the radio room as Gannon states that they are losing more ice every hour and may not have enough room for the glider to land when it arrives in nine hours. Virgie accuses Cantrell of sending Gannon on the dangerous mission to get him away from her, and he realizes that Virgie still loves Gannon. She admits that she will always love her ex-husband, and Cantrell decides to take over as the glider's pilot in order to assure that Gannon returns to her. With only 550 feet of runway left, Cantrell is able to land, but after the crew boards, they realize that the glider's skis are frozen to the ice, and that someone will have to remain behind to rock the glider and free it as the C-47 grabs its tow line. Gannon, who has been convinced by Cantrell that he was wrong about Virgie, pulls rank and orders Cantrell to pilot the glider while he remains behind, and soon the crew and Cantrell arrive at Barter Island, the nearest stop. Cantrell then pilots a C-47 back to the outpost and uses a personnel rig to pick up Gannon, who is lifted up to the plane. Gannon joins Cantrell in the cockpit, and after Cantrell radios in to alert Mary that the rescue was a success, Gannon asks the radio operator to tell Virgie that he is coming home. Virgie and Mary, who are in the radio room, are relieved to learn that their men are safe, and leave arm-in-arm to get a celebratory drink.