Revealing the extraordinary story of the SS St. Louis as she set sail from Hamburg in 1939 with a cargo of 937 German Jews seeking asylum from Nazi persecution, this horrifying account documents the trails of those unfortunate travelers as they desperately sought sanctuary on the high seas—while the entire world looked on. Describing how, unknown to the captain and crew, the ship was populated by the dreaded Gestapo, this incredible tale narrates the experiences of the refugees on board and their struggles to survive—denied entry as either tourists or political asylum seekers in the ports of Cuba, America, and Canada—before being eventually forced to return to Europe and an uncertain fate. Highlighting the extreme cruelty and propaganda machine of the German SS, the indecisiveness of neighboring countries on the brink of the next Great War, and the desperate attempts to survive by those trapped at sea, this strange and terrifying journey into the dark history of World War II is a remarkable human document of great historical value.