In this memoir, Peter A. Alivizatos recounts stories from his early years growing up in Greece in the shadow of World War II through his long career on the forefront of thoracic organ transplantation in both North America and Europe. He relates experiences working with surgical giants and details the difficulties and rewards of starting and running heart and lung transplant programs at both Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, and the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center in Athens, Greece.