Rural China has been in the midst of a civil war between the Chinese nationalist Kuomintang led by Chiang Kai Shek and the Communist opposition led by Mao Zedong since the end of Japanese occupation in 1945. As Communist forces under Mao Zedong reach Shanghai, a Communist takeover in China is all but certain.
Nearly ten years after his arrival in April 1939, Fred Marcus boards the S.S. Joplin Victory in Shanghai Harbor, headed for San Francisco and a new life.
The ship Exodus embarks from France carrying approximately 4,500 Jewish refugees bound for British Mandate Palestine. British forces prevent the ship from docking and return it to France, where refugees remain on board for over a month. British administrators enforce a strict quota on Jewish immigration at the demands of Arab leaders in Mandate Palestine.
Attackers kill more than 40 Jewish survivors in Kielce, Poland. The attack spurs returning Jews to once again flee. Many find sanctuary in Allied displaced persons (DP) camps.
Imperial Japan announces surrender to the Allies, ending World War II. Formal surrender ceremonies follow on 2 September.