Daphne Manners is a young British woman abd niece of a former governor of India. Daphne lives with her aunt Ethel Manners before moving to Mayapore to live with Lady Chatterjee, a friend of the Manners' family. She is a very shy person who works at being outgoing. She volunteers at the hospital in Mayapore as well as at a facility for the dying called the Sanctuary. Daphne falls in love with Hari Kumar, whom she first meets at a party given by Lady Chatterjee, and is often the subject of gossip for being seen with him in public. Daphne is raped by a group of men after meeting with Kumar one night in the Bibighar Gardens. She becomes pregnant, possibly by Hari, and dies as she is giving birth. She leaves a good deal of money that is used to build a home for orphaned children in Mayapore.