A Question of Latitude

The story follows a young investigative journalist who travels to the Congo to expose colonial corruption and human-rights abuses. Raised in privilege and known for fair, meticulous reporting, he intends to apply familiar reform methods but meets a more complicated reality: colonial officials display closed ranks, traders and other Europeans offer conflicting accounts, and encounters suggest both abuses by administrators and violent customs among local groups. On the voyage and upon arrival he confronts moral ambiguity, cultural misunderstanding, and the limits of journalistic methods, while personal ties and a cautious romantic understanding temper his idealism.