This book investigates the legal obligations and rights of the 'Good Samaritan' within private law, specifically focusing on liability for nonfeasance and the mechanisms of negotiorum gestio. Jeroen Kortmann, a scholar of private law, analyzes the tension between moral imperatives to assist others and the legal frameworks that govern such interventions. By synthesizing historical and contemporary legal doctrines, the author evaluates whether legal systems should mandate assistance and how they should compensate those who act to protect the interests of others.

Legal scholars and practitioners recognize this work as a rigorous comparative study of private law obligations. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the depth of the historical research provided by the author.