Michael and Carol organize a seemingly insignificant political protest while in college, which starts an avalanche of trouble that follows them for more than twenty years. Inspired by the old-fashioned, strict Christian traditions of their upbringing, the young black couple from north St. Louis starts a family. Unable to afford the revered, church-run high school, their gentle, endearing son ends up in a violent, 4,000-student, public high school. Within a year, the tender-hearted boy is led into a troubled life, ending in a horrific crime. "Pilgrim Through This Barren Land" is the story of a deeply religious black family in St. Louis who confront a crisis of spirit that brings them to the brink of tragedy and fate.