Often hailed as his finest work, Joseph Conrad drew on his own naval career and the many tales he gleaned as a sailor to produce this rich, multi-layered novel, whose themes touch on capitalism, revolution and materialism. Is anyone incorruptible? The inhabitants of Sulaco (a port in the fictional South American state of Costaguana) believe that head longshoreman, Nostromo, is just that. Entrusted to take the local mine's silver to safety when a revolt threatens the town, he sets sail, only to run into trouble. A successful return to Sulaco, though, sees Nostromo help save the port from the revolutionaries. But he feels aggrieved at the lack of recognition for his heroism, and so he decides to claim his own reward by retrieving the silver that he had stored on a nearby island - can he obtain the love and the riches he believes he truly deserves or will fate take a hand?