Publisher's Synopsis
A drifter in the islands of the Malay Archipelago rescues a young Englishwoman from her predatory boss, and the vengeful employer sets a trio of miscreants on their trail. Joseph Conrad's first popular success abounds in the elements characteristic of his later work: an exotic setting, richly and powerfully evoked; muscular prose; complex characterization; and a compelling examination of the human capacity for good and evil.