The novel tells the story of a young Irish orphan, Kimball O'Hara, better known as 'Kim'. He is living in British India and brought up by his "ayah" (nursemaid) in the old Punjabi city of Lahore (now in Pakistan). Kim meets a Buddhist Lama (priest) and has many exciting adventures, traveling along the Grand Trunk Road. Some other interesting characters in this story are Mahbub Ali, Colonel Creighton, Lurgan-sahib and Hurree Chandar Mukerjee.