Of his novels, many feel that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the best. The story takes place in a fictional town much like Twain's own hometown in Missouri. Huckleberry Finn runs away to escape from his father. His father only wants to claim him as his son in order to get his hands on the money the boy has inherited. Huckleberry decides to escape by traveling down ther Mississippi River. In doing so, he meets a runaway slave named Jim, and the two decide that they will head south to Cairo, lllinois. There they will take a steamboat up the river so that Jim may escape into a state where he will be legally free. The two have many adventures as they travel on the river and become friends.