In this riveting and passionately rendered novel, an intern faces the harsh realities of his profession, and the overwhelming highs and lows for which medical school was unable to prepare him. The call comes at three in the morning, ordering the intern to handle a new admission at the pediatric ward of the university hospital. He finds eleven-year-old Mary Berquam, diagnosed with advanced leukemia. The doctors think they might be able to give her drug therapies and put her in remission, but her parents know Mary’s disease is fatal and they want to keep her comfortable rather than put her through painful treatments. The young intern must confront what it means to follow the conventions of his job versus the calling of his conscience.