After years of misdiagnoses, doctors discovered a deadly blockage in Linder's liver. Comparing medical charts with father, an uncle, and her great-grandmother, she discovered symptoms similar to hers before their deaths. She approached Dr. Christine Seidman, the head of a group of world-class genetic researchers at Harvard Medical School, who discovered that fourteen relatives carried something called a private mutation-- meaning that they were the first known people to experience the baffling symptoms of a brand new genetic mutation. Linder pieces together the lineage of this deadly gene to write a gripping and unforgettable exploration of family, history, and love.