In this adaptation of a semi-autobiographical Neil Simon play, young Eugene Morris Jerome (Matthew Broderick) enlists in the U.S. Army at the end of World War II. He is shipped from his Brooklyn home to basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi. At boot camp, Eugene is antagonized by manic drill instructor Sergeant Toomey (Christopher Walken) and is introduced to adulthood through his experiences with a diverse group of young recruits, a Biloxi beauty, and a local prostitute.