In the "neighborhood" of the Americas, Canada alone has maintained consistently cordial relations with Cuba, in spite of considerable pressure from the United States. In the first book-length study of the subject, John M. Kirk and Peter McKenna explore this unusual dynamic, focusing mainly on the period since 1959.

They begin with the evolution of the Canadian-Cuban relationship, which was initially founded on pragmatic economic and commercial considerations. Cuba has always been one of Canada's major trading partners in Latin America, and it is the second most popular vacation resort for Canadians. Subsequent chapters, ordered historically, explore each Canadian prime minister's response to the revolutionary government in Havana.

Changing personalities and ideologies in that office have had a significant impact on Canada's Cuba policy. The author also look at the relationship from the Cuban point of view: they have drawn on privileged interview and archival material from Cuba, including never-before-seen diplomatic records from Cuba's Foreign Ministry, to create a thoroughly rounded portrait.

In what is perhaps a controversial stance, the authors seek to use Canada's Cuba policy as a lesson in good neighborliness for the United States, and they dedicate their book to "all those who struggle for the introduction of common sense, dignity, and justice into U.S.-Cuban relations."