Anatole Grey (45) is a worldwide famous bestselling author recovering from depression caused by the death of his wife. After 5 years of silence and rehabilitation, Anatole is preparing for the release of his new book, which according to the media, is expected to be better than anything he has ever written. However, Anatole did not write the book – he stole it from his own daughter. His autistic daughter from his first marriage wrote the book to get the attention and love from her father that she lacked her entire life. Russian expat, young journalist Dasha Franchik (25) discovers the truth about the authorship during the bohemian party dedicated to the release of the book. Dasha is challenged by her moral principles to go ahead and release the news, while at the same time her best friend and colleague Nathalie Meyer (27), in pursuit of fame and glory, decides to write a compromising fake news piece about the release party and Anatole Grey. During the event, all the characters get to know the gay bartender David (25) whose humble origins, rough remarks, and honest feedback allows the characters to see the situation they are in from a different angle and see through their own deepest fears and desires. After the party, Anatole Grey leaves David a generous tip of 10,000 euros that David decides to invest into his own business. The day after the party, Anatole Grey dies in a car accident. This leads to a dramatic end of the journalistic career of Nathalie Meyer when her lies are revealed, and a massive success for Dasha Franchik, when she decides to go ahead and release the confessions of the author about plagiarism on a prime-time live TV show. Coping with the radical change in their lifestyle caused by the death of the author and an unexpected new career spin, Dasha quickly becomes a local celebrity, being dependent on fresh sensations and breaking news to keep her afloat and confronted by her degrading set of personal values. Nathalie ends her career in media and decides to go on vacation to rediscover herself, where she falls in love with a flatmate of the bartender David. With the money received from the late author, David launches a social rehabilitation program at the coffee shop he owns as a tribute to Anatole Grey. Through the death of the provocative and deeply troubled author, all the characters reflect on their own life choices and life goals and reach the point where they are comfortable with making the decisions that will define their future. Through a series of powerful flashbacks based on tipping points of his life, Anatole Grey sees colourful episodes of how he used to treat his lovers, his daughter, and his passion for writing, and reaches a catharsis, which allows him to rest in peace after death and reunite with the love of his life, taken away from him by cancer years ago. At the core of Hearts of Cotton is the character’s search for personal meaning and feeling. Work and ambitions has become their focus to get attention and validation from the world that has left them feeling lost and numb. The book explores what happens when a generation is challenged to re-invent their belief system, accept their true calling and dreams, and learn to feel again through being kinder to themselves.