"Heartless opens with a girl who is faced with life's hardships at an early age. Her seven-year-old heart hardens to the world and she prepares to face the future without love. Every seven years we meet her again as she grows into a young woman who does eventually find a match for her heart. But she makes a dramatic decision which reverberates through the years ahead. As she travels through life's milestones - education, career, relationships and motherhood - she must allow herself to love and be loved in return. "--Publisher description.