World War One has ended. Two veteran-brothers of Irish decent return to New England. Arriving in Boston, they are discharged as they come down the gangplank, given twelve dollars, thanked for their service, and sent on their way. Then they quickly find out that the government is broke and cannot afford to pay any of the veterans the money they are promised. As the brothers settle in Connecticut, they are surrounded by trouble. A battle with the Catholic church over the death of their sister, a cloistered nun; problems with a difficult business-partner; the Veterans' Bonus March in Washington, D.C.; and the largest hurricane ever recorded, all complicate their lives.