This is an account of the fall of Barings Bank. "Financial Times" journalists John Gapper and Nicholas Denton have interviewed all the major players involved in the collapse of one of England's oldest banks. Their book reveals the Faustian deal struck between the whizz-kid traders who seemed to be bringing in huge profits and the grandees who were happy to pocket them without asking too many questions. The book explains the actions and motives of all the participants, including the final days when politicians and bankers made a last-ditch attempt to save the bank, as well as Leeson's actions and motives.