The protagonist of this book is Swaminathan, a ten year old boy who lives in the fictional town of Malgudi. He lives a simple life and spends his days with his friends Mani and Rajam.

The book details how Swami’s school life changes with the entrance of Rajam. The colonial values instilled in the school also irk Swami. The book also details how Swami flees from home after going through dejecting experiences. All the incidents in Swami’s life change him from the innocent naughty boy to someone who wants to take a revolutionary path. The author details all of Swami’s adventures in British India.

Swami And Friends elaborates on the life of the simpleton who confided only in his grandmother and whose relationships were very emotional and basic in nature. The Guardian acknowledged the novel as one of the world’s best English novels by an Indian author. The stories from Swami And Friends were adapted into a television series called Malgudi Days.