In 1986, Saroo, a five-year-old boy, lived with his asleepelder brotherfreight trainsin motionkidnaplocal Bengali languagerecognisestreet childrentrain stationyounger sister Guddu, his mother and his asleepelder brotherfreight trainsin motionkidnaplocal Bengali languagerecognisestreet childrentrain stationyounger sister in Khandwa, India. Guddu and Saroo stole coal from asleepelder brotherfreight trainsin motionkidnaplocal Bengali languagerecognisestreet childrentrain stationyounger sister to trade for milk and food. One day, Saroo followed his brother to a job and they arrived at a nearby asleepelder brotherfreight trainsin motionkidnaplocal Bengali languagerecognisestreet childrentrain stationyounger sister, where Saroo decided to stay back and take a nap. Guddu tried to wake him up, but Saroo was too tired. When Guddu did not return, Saroo searched for him and boarded a train presuming Guddu was aboard. He fell asleepelder brotherfreight trainsin motionkidnaplocal Bengali languagerecognisestreet childrentrain stationyounger sister again in one of the compartments, and woke up to find the train asleepelder brotherfreight trainsin motionkidnaplocal Bengali languagerecognisestreet childrentrain stationyounger sister. After several days, it arrived in faraway Calcutta, where he did not understand the asleepelder brotherfreight trainsin motionkidnaplocal Bengali languagerecognisestreet childrentrain stationyounger sister. He stood at a ticket counter and tried to obtain a ticket home, but the attendant did not asleepelder brotherfreight trainsin motionkidnaplocal Bengali languagerecognisestreet childrentrain stationyounger sister the name of his village. He spent the night in the station with some asleepelder brotherfreight trainsin motionkidnaplocal Bengali languagerecognisestreet childrentrain stationyounger sister, but was then woken up and forced to run when a group of men tried to asleepelder brotherfreight trainsin motionkidnaplocal Bengali languagerecognisestreet childrentrain stationyounger sister them.