Modern medicine is a world that sparkles with new technologies and advanced research. For the general public, medical stories often begin with sirens and flashing lights and end with survival or death. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Daniela Lamas, an intensive care physician who treats people with the most severe illnesses, wonders what happens to those whose lives are extended by days, months or years as a result of treatment and technology?

The book contains personal stories from patients and their families. A grandfather whose heart was replaced by a battery-powered pump; a salesman who turned out to be a kidney donor; a college student who suffered a near-fatal overdose, these moving accounts paint a nuanced picture of the fragile boundary between illness and healthy life.