Mukherjee—a physician, biologist, oncologist, and author—is part of a two-year oncologist fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston when the book opens. He describes what it is like to work with patients, some of whom die. Although grueling, his work is sometimes uplifting. At a point during his medical training, he decides to pursue laboratory work over clinical work, but his treatment of patients stays with him. He comes to understand the way in which cancer treatment absorbs patients and the way in which it can help them refine and define their lives.

Farber was a pathologist at Children’s Hospital in Boston who became interested in developing drugs to help children diagnosed with leukemia. He developed the first types of chemotherapies, including antifolates, and he administered them to children such as Robert Sandler (to whom Mukherjee has dedicated the book). Although Sandler entered remission but then died, his remission showed the promise of these new types of drugs.

Farber knew that he needed more funds to advance his research. He started the Jimmy Fund and raised money to build a larger institute for his work. The Boston Braves and later the Boston Red Sox became involved in helping the fund with Einar Gustafson (“Jimmy”), an 11-year-old boy, as its symbol.