In this gripping story about an imaginative South American republic of Costaguana, Conrad paints in shocking detail the insidious effects of greed and corruption. When the silver mines of the South American Republic of Costaguana are threatened by rebel forces, a brave Italian captain, Nostromo, steps in and offers to bury the silver to ensure its safety. His good intentions become tainted as the dark forces of human nature take over. Joseph Conrad's heralding literary achievement, Nostromo is also Conrad's darkest novel, an account of human frailty with an ironic twist; it is a story without heroes.