Hotshot young surgeons are not known for their humility, but Dr. Tenma is hardworking, brilliant and a sincerely nice guy. He may be able to pull patients back from the brink of death, but he has no knack for politics, and in Dusseldorf's top hospital, politics is what gets you ahead. For a while, things are great --- excellent job, sassy fiancée and the satisfaction of using his skills.

Under the surface, though, Tenma senses the hospital is up to no good, saving wealthy patients while letting poor patients wait for care. When he ignores the hospital director's orders and saves a young boy rather than operate on an influential politician, Tenma has no idea what he's brought down on himself. His perfect life shatters. Years later, the boy he saved comes back all grown up, but will his past action bless or curse his life?

An unsettling medical thriller, the style of art is more realistic and less stylized than a lot of today's manga. The less exaggerated style lends the whole work a genuine tone, drawing out the medical drama as well as the looming threats Tenma suffers through.