We begin as the ever just Conan has refused to betray a friend to a fascist magistrate in the port city of Argos, emphasizing his point by killing the man. Conan forces his way onto a sailing barge and soon finds himself set upon by a gang of pirates let by Belit, the Queen of the Black Coast.  His mates on the Argus are no match for the pirates, and Conan jumps ship and is spared by Belit, who admires his ferocity and other manly virtues. She asks him to be her mate. Together they plunder and terrorize the Black Coast, eventually sailing up river to a find a lost treasure, skulking hyenas and a winged monster among ancient ruins. Amidst various horrors they carry on a deep theological dialog intermixed with intense romance until Belit acquires a cursed jeweled necklace that renders her mad and leads to her demise.  Conan fights his way out with the help of her spirit, avenges her death and sends her off with a Viking funeral.  First published in Weird Tales in May 1934, the epic sweep and intense (and atypical) romance mark The Queen of the Black Coast as one of the favorites of Conan aficionados.