The book describes how the economic elite is organized and integrated through networks of collegial relations. An analysis of 369,782 names of business leaders and especially the 376 leaders of the largest corporations shows that the leaders of the largest Danish corporations form a close-knit inner circle. This inner circle is relatively introverted, although not closed.

The analysis is based on network theory, and its premise is that the leaders of Danish businesses are linked as colleagues. A person serving as leader in several firms is a link between her or his colleagues in the various firms. Such collegial relations knit leaders together in local, nationwide, and international networks. The leaders exercise power over their firm, and through their collegial networks they can exercise power more broadly in economic life.