Dr. Cook began writing the book while serving on a submarine, basing it on his experiences as a medical resident.

He also brought controversial ethical and social issues affecting the medical profession to the attention of the general public.

He has forgotten when he last slept, but he knows that in the coming hours he will make life or death decisions.

As he begins his internship, he must deal with assisting the surgeons in the operating room, help nurses who happen to know more than him, cope with worried friends and family of the ill and injured, and pretend that he is a qualified doctor.

The book takes a deeper look into the psychical and psychological effects on a medical intern.