The main character in the story is a summoner, a person whose job it was to inform people that they had been ordered to appear before a church court to answer charges of immorality. The summoner in the tale is corrupt and earns the bulk of his living by taking bribes, often from people who have not really been summoned to appear before the court. The summoner ultimately pays for his crimes when he encounters a demon. "The Friar's Tale" about a dishonest summoner is immediately followed by a direct response, "The Summoner's Tale", which is about a dishonest, greedy and hypocritical friar.