The book provides an overview of the international financial system in the lead-up to and during the Great Depression, focusing on the actions and motivations of four central bankers: Montagu Norman of the Bank of England, Benjamin Strong of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Charles Rist of the Banque de France, and Hjalmar Schacht of the Reichsbank. The author argues that the combination of the war debts from World War I, a complex and often misguided system of international finance, and poor leadership led to the global economic collapse. The text also examines the roles of other influential figures, including John Maynard Keynes, whose economic theories played a crucial role in shaping postwar economic policy.