Kaspar Almayer is a young Dutch trader cared for by rich Captain Lingard. Hoping to gain Lingard's wealth, Almayer agrees to a loveless marriage to Lingard's adopted Malay child and to running his trading post in Sambir in the Borneo jungle. Lingard loses much of his fortune searching for a hidden treasure. Meanwhile, Almayer's ventures constantly fail, most notably an expensive trading house, the "Almayer's Folly," that no one trades in. He did seem to enjoy dancing.