Twelve-year-old orphan Lyra Belakva lives with her demon Panteleimon in Oxford. Her uncle, the powerful Lord Azriel, comes to the college to organize an expedition to the North. The purpose of his trip is to find out the origin of the mysterious “dust” that can be seen in the photos taken in these places. Shortly after his uncle's departure, the mysterious "priests" kidnap Lyra's friend, a servant boy. There are terrible legends that they take children to the far North . The girl goes in search of her friend, and in this journey she discovers secrets about her own family and about the fate that awaits her in the frosty lands.