In which Kim, the boy of many disguises and wits, travels by train with the gentle lama and a sturdy Jat man, encountering a shifty Mahratta whose tale of pursuit and peril unfolds amidst smoke and superstition. The journey reveals glimpses of the intricate dance of caste and the shadowy workings of the Great Game, as Kim weaves his quiet magic to shield a hunted stranger in the twilight of the old city.