Conway is the protagonist of much of the novel, as it is his story that Rutherford hands over to the narrator in the form of a manuscript. At 37, Conway is a consul, a diplomatic position intended to maintain a government’s interests in a foreign country. Conway’s rank in the British government is indicative of his charisma, and Mallinson frequently notes how impressively Conway performed his role in Baskul, even during the revolution that forced him to flee. Likewise, when Rutherford, Wyland, and the narrator reminisce about Conway, they remember him as a remarkable man, lending him almost superhuman qualities. However, the novel indicates that Conway was psychologically impacted by World War I, though his accounts of the war are often brief and nondescript. The traumatic experience of the war has left him with a dispassionate personality, unable to take special interest in the affairs of the world. Conway’s dispassion makes him a perfect candidate for lama-hood, and he even draws the attention of the High Lama, Perrault, who wants Conway to take over control of Shangri-La upon his death. This theoretical promotion, too, evidences Conway’s charisma and the trust others place in him.

Conway’s role in the novel, much like other protagonists of travel novels, is to report the sights and scenes of Shangri-La.