 While eloping, Seaman First Class Jim Newman and Betty Jane Martin stop at Hoffman s Service Station and find an emergency involving a choking infant. Jim revives the baby and the two drive off without giving their names. Moments later, Dr. Kincaid arrives with Dan Mathews and determines that the baby has a dangerous and highly contagious form of spinal meningitis. He advises that Jim and Betty Jane must be found and inoculated within hours to prevent their own possible deaths and a likely epidemic. Without names, Dan and Sergeant Williams face long odds, but they are helped by a local store owner and the justice of the peace that married the couple. When the two are finally located, they decide to avoid confrontation with Homer Martin (Betty Jane s father) and flee. Dan is forced to chase them down at high speed on treacherous dirt roads.