Almayer's Folly

Almayer, an immigrant living on the Malayan continent with his native wife and his daughter, Nina, dreams of riches, and so pursues hidden gold mines and begins construction on a mansion to impress the British forces that he believes are coming to conquer the region. However, none of Almayer's schemes come through for him, and his recklessness results in a desperate situation for him and his family.
Almayer's Folly was Joseph Conrad's first novel. Though it was not as well-received as some of his later works like Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim, Alamyer's Folly has since met with critical acclaim for its portrayal of Nina as a strong ethnic female character.