Eight ordinary people are given a million dollars, a fortnight of intensive training and two months to run their own hedge fund. Will they make a killing – or will the pressure kill them first?

This clever experiment reveals the inner workings of a city trading floor as never before. The money is supplied by top hedge fund manager Lex van Dam. He wants to see if ordinary people can beat the professionals – and he expects a return on his investment too.

But no-one foresees the financial crisis that lies ahead. The eight traders were selected in Spring 2008 – before the US credit crisis started to gather pace. And as the novices begin to master the dark arts of trading stocks and shares, the financial markets start to buckle. Making money takes second place to basic survival as the brutal realities of global economics take their toll on the traders. How will they cope? And will they manage to secure themselves a bonus – or walk away with nothing?