In nearly every realm of daily life there is an invisible velvet rope that divides how we live. On one side,
appointments are secured, queues are skipped and doors are opened. On the other, people fight for an empty seat on the
plane, a place in line at a theme park or even a hospital bed. Schwartz shows how business innovators have stepped in to
exploit the gap between the rich and everyone else, shifting services away from the masses and finding new ways to profit
by serving the privileged. The frictionless world of VIP experiences seems like good business, but as this model expands,
the costs are mounting. Schwartz's gripping account takes us on a glittering, behind-the-scenes tour of this new reality - and shows the
toll the velvet rope divide is taking on society.