What happens when the son-in-law of the country's prime minister collapses on your couch during a dinner you organised? What happens when a member of parliament on his deathbed instructs you how and when to treat him? How in a situation calling for innovation a surgeon finds a way of treating a child with a novel technique? What happens when a doctor sees a young life ebbing away despite his best efforts? How does desperation drive a patient to seek and accept a risky procedure? Once Upon a Heartbeat plunges right into a heart centre. It reveals the humane side of cardiac surgical practice-the operation theatre, the intensive care unit-and brings us close to doctors, nurses and patients, beautifully portraying their stories, their struggles and the eventual healing. There is innovation, intrigue, jealousy and competition to perform. Sometimes, doctors use common sense and even take a risk to deliver quality treatment for an effective outcome. Again, in stressful and dramatic moments, decisions are taken that are mostly beneficial but sometimes fatal. This is the arena where heart surgeons seek glamour and fame and commit their lives to save those suffering from heart diseases. Anecdotal, motivating and often funny, the stories in this collection are inspired from the life of a leading cardiac surgeon, revealing few truths and busting some myths and superstitions along the way.