Kim is a picaresque novel by English author Rudyard Kipling. It was first published serially from December 1900 to October 1901 and first published in book form in October 1901. The novel is notable for its detailed portrait of the people, culture, and varied religions of India: "The book presents a vivid picture of India, its teeming populations, religions, and superstitions, and the life of the bazaars and the road."
The story is set after the Second Anglo-Afghan War (which ended in 1881), and before the Third (1919), probably in the period of 1893 to 1898.
Kim (Kimball O'Hara) is the orphaned son of an Irish soldier (Kimball O'Hara Sr., a former colour sergeant) and an Irish mother. Living a vagabond existence in India under British rule in the late 19th century, Kim lives 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 tanned and immersed in the local culture that few realise he is white.
Kim befriends an aged Tibetan lama on a quest to free himself from the Wheel of Things by finding the legendary "River of the Arrow". Kim becomes his chela (disciple) and accompanies him on his journey, initially walking along the Grand Trunk Road. On the way, Kim learns about the Great Game and is recruited by Mahbub Ali to carry a message to the head of the British Secret Service in Umballa.
