Based on the real life of Dr. Kathy Magliato, "Heartbeat" focuses on outspoken and high-achieving heart-transplant surgeon Dr. Alex Panttiere, who is a beautiful woman in a field dominated by men. Bold and stubborn, Alex does things on her own terms, celebrating her racy -- and complicated -- personal life and successfully managing the day-to-day demands of faculty members and interns who remain skeptical, while still finding time to impress by pushing the boundaries of medical science.