In the early 1970s, the United States was in the process of withdrawing from Vietnam but the war was still very much in everyone's mind. Sam McLaughlin arrives at Charleston Air Force Base after a tour in the Pacific. He's 24 years old and unmarried. After a few months of living in the barracks and drinking in the NCO Club, he moves into an apartment just outside the main gate. After meeting another member of his squadron who lives in another complex "west of the Ashley," Sam convinces his roommate to move there because of the social opportunities at Orange Grove Apartments. The complex is home to dozens of young recent college graduates, particularly teachers. For the first time since high school, Sam finds himself in an environment that is not exclusively male. He and his roommates become famous in the complex for their parties, until he meets a young Baptist College student who turns out to be the girl of his dreams.