Son of a farmer, Mungo Park was a Scottish surgeon who left his practice to travel hitherto unexplored Africa. A multi-talented and multi-faceted character, Park's expeditions proved a dramatic contrast to his quiet upbringing in the Scottish Borders. Surviving fever, robbery and capture, Park recorded the story of his travels, bringing a new image of Africa to the European public. His tragic death, when so near his goal, remains shrouded in mystery.