Kim (Kimball O'Hara) is the orphaned son of an Irish soldier and a poor Irish mother who have both died in poverty. Living a vagabond existence in India under British rule in the late 19th century, Kim earns his living by begging and running small errands on the streets of Lahore. He occasionally works for Mahbub Ali, a Pashtun horse trader who is one of the native operatives of the British secret service. Kim is so immersed in the local culture, few realise he is a white child, though he carries a packet of documents from his father entrusted to him by an Indian woman who cared for him. Kim befriends an aged Tibetan Lama who is on a quest to free himself from the 'Wheel of Things' by finding the legendary 'River of the Arrow'. Kim becomes his 'chela', or disciple, and accompanies him on his journey. On the way, Kim incidentally learns about parts of the 'Great Game' and is recruited by Mahbub Ali to carry a message to the head of British intelligence in Umballa. Kim's trip with the lama along the 'Grand Trunk Road' is the first great adventure in the novel...