On September 2, 1935 hundreds of veterans lost their lives on American soil when the strongest storm ever to hit the United States plowed into the Florida keys. As part of the New Deal hundreds of World War I veterans were sent to the Florida Keys to build Highway One from the mainland to Key West. Sent to the small island of Matecumbe, the corrupt politicians of the day thought the vets would be forgotten with their one way ticket to nowhere. The living conditions were abysmal and the soldiers all but forgotten. The men struggled for survival against the environment, the work and themselves. Some found escape, some found redemption while others went insane. Julius Stone had is own plans. Having secured a position as the head of FERA (Federal Emergency Relief Administration), Stone hijacked Key West to build a real estate empire. Satisfied that the rabble that marched on Washington, DC was now under his control, he'd effectively silenced the mob and rid Washington of its "Bonus Army." That is, until the strongest storm ever to hit the United States headed their way.