Lisa and Sol board the luxury ship St. Louis in Hamburg, Germany on May 13, 1939 with mixed feelings. Lisa and her family are in first class; Sol and his parents are below in tourist class. Both children are excited to be beginning this voyage to a better life and sad to be leaving their old lives behind. They are Jewish, as are almost all of the 937 passengers on board, and although war has not been officially declared in Europe, the Nazis have been persecuting Jews for years. As they set sail for Cuba the atmosphere on the ship is optimistic, led by the German captain Gustave Schroeder, who is determined to see his passengers to safety. But as they learn that Hitler’s propaganda has turned the country against them, the mood changes to despair. They are turned away - first from Cuba, then the United States, and then Canada.