In the heart of the picture is the fate of a composer Jerome Kern, who was canonized as one of the classics of jazz during his lifetime. He was born in New York, and there in the early 20th century he began his musical career. He narrowly escaped death in the wrecked ship, having come too late to sail, received several Oscars, and dozens of his musicals were staged on Broadway. When Kern died, all of America grieved, and President Harry Truman read his obituary.