Conrad's first novel is set in a remote trading post on a Borneo river in the late nineteenth century. Kaspar Almayer, a Dutch trader, dreams of finding a hidden fortune and of taking his beloved half-Malay daughter Nina to a grand life in Europe. His plans are undermined by his own weakness, a bitter marriage, rival traders and the pull of Nina's own heritage. The book introduces the themes that would run through Conrad's career: illusion, isolation, and the clash between cultures far from home, in rich and atmospheric prose.