Jim, the first mate aboard the Patna, dreams youthful dreams of heroism and of the daring act that will prove his courage. But when the Patne, on a night crossing of the Arabian Sea, collides with a mysterious obstacle, Jim panics and jumps free. This single act of cowardice drives him to self enforced exile as a white trader in the remote tropical outpost of Patusan. Jim's search for redemption and his dramatic bid to vindicate his romantic ideals are the stuff of a magnificently vivid and subtle novel. With Heart of Darkness, Nostromo and The Secret Agent, Lord Jim ranks among Joseph Conrad's masterpieces.