The protagonist of Pilgrims Way is Daud, an immigrant to England from Tanzania who works as an orderly in Canterbury in the 1970s.[5][6][7] Daud experiences racist abuse from skinheads and others and begins to feel fearful and dejected as a result.[8][7] Daud is named for the biblical figure David.[9] Daud develops a romantic attachment to Catherine Mason, a nurse.[10] Daud's other friends include Lloyd, a white man with racist tendencies, and Karta, a pan-African Black nationalist.[10]