As a human orphan being raised by a family of gorillas after his parents were killed in an African jungle, Tarzan is worried that a fabled monster known as the Zugor will someday attempt to capture him. He is disappointed that he can't run as quickly as the other young apes in his family, and his attempts to prove himself keep resulting in chaos, disappointing his father, Kerchak. When an accident leads his ape mother, Kala, to think Tarzan has died after the gorillas have crossed a ravine, the other apes feel that Tarzan has reached a fitting end. Tarzan believes it's best for everyone involved if he runs away.