Christian appears to the author in a dream, reading a book where he learns that the city in which he and his family live will be destroyed by fire. He sets out, alone, on his journey to the Celestial City, through the Slough of Despond, Vanity Fair, the Valley of Humiliation and the Valley of Death. He meets many like-minded pilgrims on his way, such as Faithful and Hopeful but before they attain their goal they encounter the Giant Despair and the River of Death itself.

The masterpiece of the English Puritan tradition, The Pilgrim's Progress has been translated into over one hundred languages and remains popular with readers worldwide because of its imaginative power and its vivid and heartfelt language.