The men of New Zealand march off to war, leaving behind cities and villages filled with women and loneliness. In time, new men come ashore: U.S. Marines facing uncertain futures in Pacific battles yet to come. And new loves – tender or tragic, transitory or lasting – begin to flower. A constellation of actresses shines in a bittersweet James A. Michener story of sisters (Jean Simmons, Joan Fontaine, Piper Laurie and Sandra Dee) embracing love in a time of war, but it's the sensitive romance between a war widow (Simmons) and a jaded captain (Paul Newman, establishing his credentials as a screen heartthrob) that forms the tale's poignant heart. Under the sensitive direction of Robert Wise (who directed Newman), the memories of a lifetime are formed Until They Sail.