As the first European at the Black River. Wild and unexplored, vast parts of the African continent at the beginning of the 19th century. The young Scottish doctor Mungo Park sets out on an official mission to further explore the interior of Africa. Drawn by the mighty Niger River and the legendary Timbuktu, the "Queen of the Desert," he ventures deep into the dark continent. Four other expeditions had already failed when Park left the port of Portsmouth on May 22, 1795. His return on Christmas Day 1797 is a sensation for his contemporaries, and his reports establish his fame. However, Park has fallen under the spell of Africa. Despite many warnings, he undertakes a second journey in 1805. Although the diaries from this trip make it back home, he himself remains lost in the vastness of the Black Continent. What remains are his records.