Steel manufacturer Stelco went into bankruptcy protection in early 2004. There was a lot at stake during its court-mandated restructuring: 6,000 jobs, 10,000 pensions, the struggling economy of a company town; and the egos and pocketbooks of lawyers, investors, union leaders, politicians and hedge fund managers, each with a special interest to flog and no interest in compromise. Also on the line was the reputation – and conscience – of CEO Courtney Pratt, who was hired to clean up the mess. To Pratt, survival for Stelco meant attempting to keep the company alive as he ethically reconciled the competing interests, a task made absurdly difficult by the circus-like atmosphere around those fighting over its future. Pratt and Gaudet provide a thoughtful challenge to the tired notion that all CEOs are incubated for the sole purpose of looking after their own selfish interests. The Stelco story, told with imagination, honesty and wit, is about a more important challenge: how to stay human in a bottom-line world.