When Father Dick Ball (Charles Kemper) in San Diego, California, recalls his childhood friend, John Joseph Montgomery (Glenn Ford), he recounts the story of the first American to ever fly a glider in 1883. As early as 1879, John told his girlfriend Regina Cleary (Janet Blair) about his dreams of flying, although his family was very much opposed to this idea and considered him a fool. Regina believed in him, and secretly supported his work, until the first test flight in 1883, which was successful. John named his flying machine, an "aeroplane".