Landing in Vancouver on a flight from Hong Kong on December 2018, Chinese telecom executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested by Canadian authorities with an American extradition warrant. The US Department of Justice accused Meng of fraud and bypassing sanctions against Iran. Nine days later, in an act of retaliation, China arrested two Canadians—Michael Spavor, an entrepreneur, and Michael Kovrig, a peace advocate—charging them with spying.

Imprisoned and interrogated, the Two Michaels became hostages in a tense showdown between China and the United States over not only the Meng extradition but whether East or West will control the future of the internet.

In this timely and essential book, journalist Mike Blanchfield and international affairs expert Fen Osler Hampson combine groundbreaking original reporting and keen analysis to tell this gripping and ongoing story of cyber-espionage, life-and-death diplomacy, and global superpowers in conflict.