Based on real historical events, this is the story of a scullery maid named Anne Greene, who was placed on trial for infanticide in 1650 England. According to the Author's Note, this was a common charge at the time for women who gave birth to stillborns or newborns that suffered crib death. The circumstances presented in the trial are more challenging due to the fact that she was involved with the grandson of the estate owner.

What makes Anne's tale even more interesting is that after she was "hung by the neck until she be dead," her body was turned over to assist with medical training at New College at Oxford University. It was there that people realized that she might possibly be alive, and all attempts are made to resurrect her.

The story is told in alternating chapters as Anne relates what happened to the readers during her coma and a young, stuttering doctor named Robert Matthews in training shares the experience of those working to save an at Oxford University.

I actually found the tale of Anne to be really interesting. It is a great example of the differences in status between the social castes of Britain during the Cromwell Era. Anne finds herself in trouble because of the whims of her employers. She loses not just her virtue, which leads to pregnancy, but also the love of her life as she must turn away a fellow landbound peasant because of her new status. I was fully enthralled by her chapters, reading with ease.

As for Robert's chapters, I felt totally bogged down by that aspect of the story. It is not that it wasn't interesting to experience the medical techniques used, everything from bleeding to the application of turpentine to warm the body, but those chapters seemed to move SOOOOOOO slowly. I think the book would have been SO much better with just Anne as a protagonist/narrator. It really is her story to tell, and I just didn't feel the need for the constant breaks to another perspective.

The final section of the book, which follows an interesting Author's Note that tells how Hooper learned of Anne's tale and the real historical events and people involved, is made up of a historical pamphlet that was produced to share Anne's experiences and tale shortly after the events in the book.