This book investigates whether contract law can be grounded in a republican theory of freedom rather than traditional liberal or economic foundations. Prince Saprai, a legal scholar, challenges the prevailing reliance on autonomy-based or efficiency-based justifications for contract enforcement. He proposes a framework that evaluates contract law through the lens of non-domination, arguing that the state's role in enforcing agreements should be to prevent private power imbalances that undermine individual liberty.

Legal scholars and theorists recognize this work as a significant contribution to the intersection of private law and political philosophy. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which requires a strong background in jurisprudence to fully appreciate the author's arguments.