For two years, Joris Luyendijk immersed himself in the heart of the financial world. Precisely because he was not an expert in the banking world, he was the ideal author to investigate what happened: no matter how closed the world of high finance is, many wanted to talk to him to explain how beautiful their work was. How heavy. How interesting. And how dangerous. Because the conclusion is as strong as it is painful: the institutions that ensure that the economy functions can plunge the world into the abyss. And all this is done with the best of intentions by people who have exactly the same concerns as you and me, by people who have to pay the mortgage and want the children to go to a good school. The sharp eye and open-minded way of asking questions ensures that Luyendijk provides insight like no other into how we are doing.