This novel is based on an article that appeared in the Washington Post about a report that platinum had been found in large quantities in women with silicone implants. I used my own experience evaluating silicone-implant patients during my fellowship in Allergy and Immunology. Although the novel is based on clinical experience, the plot is fictional. There is, however, a great deal of information derived from public sources and some of the characters may be recognizable but the premise of the book is quite plausible.