Young second officer Jim serves on a vessel, but a collision with a wreck makes it appear that the ship is about to sink, and Jim abandons it with the passengers on it. Jim, who at heart is an idealist, immediately regrets his cowardice, the result of an impulsive act dictated by the horror of the moment, but an investigation will also sanction his guilt. In an attempt to rebuild his life, he goes around the world, escaping himself, seeking anonymity. He finally reaches an island in the Malay archipelago, where by the strength of his character and his charismatic qualities he manages to establish order and be considered a demigod by the locals. Set in the context of social change and colonial expansion, Lord Jim embodies in Jim the values and the turmoil of a fading empire.
