Chapters 1-2 Summary

Frank Burnet is about to take the stand in his civil case against the Regents of the University of California. Frank's daughter is watching from her seat at the plaintiffs table as her colleague prepares to question him. Alex Burnet is worried because of the bad press her father has gotten in the months leading up to the trial. Alex sees how healthy her father is now and wishes the jury could have seen him a few years ago when he was undergoing treatment for cancer.

Alex's colleague beings the testimony with easy questions, starting with his life before the cancer. Then he gently guides Frank through the diagnosis of cancer, the statement that he had less than a year to live, and the months of chemotherapy. Frank relates how his cancer went into submission, surprising even his oncologist. A year...