一對英國貴族夫妻因旅行時遭船員叛變而流落荒島,在島上遭遇人猿的襲擊,先生前後槍殺了好幾隻人猿,妻子產下男嬰泰山後,人猿不斷的襲擊這對夫妻,妻子因過度驚嚇而昏迷,從此沒再醒過來。
然而,母人猿卡拉因痛失自己的寶寶,闖入這對夫妻的小木屋並搶了泰山佔為己有,泰山的父親最終也因悲痛而不幸辭世。卡拉收養泰山後對他百般呵護,儘管長得和其他人猿不同又倍受排斥,機智及敏捷仍使泰山長大後成為人猿之王。一直到泰山見到來叢林觀察人猿生態的女孩珍妮,泰山才知道自己原來是人類。不料心懷不軌的獵人想獵捕人猿變賣金錢,泰山最後該如何解決危機?是要選擇與人猿們一同留在叢林?還是與珍妮回到人類世界?
Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs, was written in 1914. It tells the story of a baby-orphaned in the African jungle-who was brought up by apes, not knowing that his parents were Lord and Lady Greystoke of England