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"Heartbeat" (originally Das Herzenhören) is an extremely moving and poetic novel by German writer Jan-Philip Sendker. The story begins in New York, when successful lawyer Tin Win suddenly and without a trace disappears, leaving behind his family without any explanation. Four years later, his daughter Julia finds an old love letter that her father wrote to an unknown woman in Burma (now Myanmar). Driven by an iron will and a need for the truth, Julia sets off on a long journey to the small mountain village of Kalaw to uncover the secret of her father's past. In the exotic and magical surroundings of Burma, Julia meets the mysterious old man U Ba, who begins to tell her the incredible life story of her father. Julia learns that her father went blind as a child, but through suffering he developed an extraordinary ability to experience and "hear" the world through his heartbeat and inner sensations. The story centers on his touching and profound love affair with a girl named Mi Mi, who was born with lame legs. The two become inseparable—he serves as her legs, and she as his eyes. Through her father's ups and downs and difficult life decisions in a whirlwind of historical events, Julia gradually changes her own perspective on life and love. Written in an incredibly vivid, warm and compassionate style, "Heartbeats" is a captivating story about the strength of the human spirit, family roots and love that transcends physical limitations, time and distance.