Charles Marlow, sails up the Congo River to meet with Kurtz – a prosperous ivory trader and a man of great abilities. Marlow ends up signing a contract and becoming a riverboat captain for a Belgian company that trades in the Congo. He hopes that this contract will give him a good opportunity for career development. However, Marlow's expectations quickly sour as he is faced with the evil of imperialism, witnessing violent acts and brutality against the local, native population. Why and how did Marlow decide to go to the Congo? Is Kurtz an evil man whose interests are controlled by money? Will the sailor regret signing his contract after seeing what the natives have to suffer? Will he try to help them? Find all the answers in Joseph Conrad's novel "Heart of Darkness" from 1899.