In May 1939, a German captain draped a tablecloth over a bust of Adolf Hitler in his ship's dining room so that the 937 Jewish refugees aboard would feel safe. This episode follows Gustav Schroeder and the MS St. Louis from Hamburg to Havana, where Cuban Decree 937 invalidated the passengers' landing permits and demanded a 500 dollar bond from families whose assets had already been seized. Only 28 people were allowed off, and passenger Max Loewe slashed his wrists and jumped into the harbor in despair.

Refused by Cuba, shadowed by the U.S. Coast Guard off Florida, and turned away by Canada, Schroeder considered running his ship aground to force a rescue under maritime law. The Jewish Joint Distribution Committee finally broke the deadlock with cash guarantees, and on June 17 the ship docked in Antwerp with passengers divided among Britain,  ...