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The Sun Comes Up is based on a screenplay by American screenwriters William Ludwig and Margaret Fitts. It is the fifth movie in a series of seven MGM movies stemming from the Lassie character in the 1940 novel Lassie Come Home by English-born author Eric Knight [1897-1943]. Preceded by Lassie Come Home (1943) (1943), Son of Lassie (1945) (1945), Le courage de Lassie (1946) (1946), and Hills of Home (1948) (1948), it was followed by Le défi de Lassie (1949) (1949) and The Painted Hills (1951) (1951), eventually leading to a long-running television series, Lassie (1954) (1954-1974). The storyline for The Sun Comes Up was suggested by a story idea by American author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.

After he has recuperated from pneumonia, Jerry (Claude Jarman Jr.) decides to return to the orphanage. The boys are having a pillow fight, so Jerry decides to sleep in the attic. One of the pillows knocks over a lantern, and the orphanage catches fire, trapping Jerry in the attic. Lassie climbs up a trellis to get into the burning attic. With her mouth, she releases the latch on the door, then she and Jerry climb out onto the porch roof where they are rescued by Tom (Lloyd Nolan), Helen (Jeanette MacDonald), and the other townsfolk who are battling the blaze. Helen asks Tom to visit to Jerry's mother in Manville and find out how much money she would want in order to have Jerry live with her. Tom refuses, telling her to do it herself if what she's just trying to make it easier for Jerry in order to ease her own conscience. When Helen drives over to Manville to look up Jerry's mother, Jerry confesses to Tom that he has no mother and that his saying so was just to appear like a man. When Helen returns, she tells Tom that she didn't bother to look up Jerry's mother and that she's decided to fight for custody herself. Afraid that he will have to confess his lie to Helen, Jerry runs away. Lassie runs after him and trips him long enough for Tom and Helen to catch up. Jerry confesses to Helen that he has no mother, and she replies, "Yes, you do have a mother, Jerry...if you want me." Of course, Jerry agrees. In the final scene, Jerry hugs Lassie, and Tom hugs Helen.