The story of Amir, the son of a wealthy Afghani, and Hassan, an impoverished Hazarajat. Raised in two very different environments, the boys remain childhood best friends and kite runners. However, tragedy and war force them apart. Hassan remains in Kabul, while Amir and his father move to America. It is only as an adult that Amir, who learns of Hassan and his wife's murder, returns to Kabul, now ruled by the Taliban, to rescue Hassan's enslaved son.