Napoleon and Samantha (1972) Plot Summary Explained

Napoleon runs away after his grandfather dies because he fears being sent to an orphanage. With no other family and uncertain about his future, he decides to find Danny, the graduate student who helped bury his grandfather, hoping Danny will help him avoid institutional care. He takes his friend Samantha and Major the lion with him.

• napoleon
• orphanage
• run away
• grandfather death

Major was a former circus performer who formed a bond with Napoleon and his grandfather after being left with them. Though he has bad teeth and drinks only milk, he demonstrates fierce loyalty to Napoleon, pulling him back from a cliff edge, fighting off a cougar that attacked the rooster, and confronting a black bear to protect the children.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Napoleon and his grandfather caring for Major in the chicken cage, establishing their bond.

• major lion
• protect children
• cougar
• bear
• loyalty

Danny leaves Napoleon and Samantha with Mark Pierson because he needs to find Samantha's family and cannot take the children with him. He trusts Mark temporarily, not knowing that Mark is a dangerous psychopath. This decision leads to Danny's arrest when he's mistaken for a kidnapper.

• danny
• mark pierson
• kidnapping
• arrest

Danny escapes when he sees a photo of Mark Pierson at the police station and realizes Mark is a dangerous criminal. Knowing the children are still with him, Danny steals a motorcycle and rushes back to rescue them, sparking a police chase.

• danny escape
• police chase
• mark pierson danger

Napoleon fantasizes about living with the Indians because he believes they live freely in the wild, away from civilized society and institutions like orphanages. However, Danny explains that the Indians no longer live that way anymore, helping Napoleon accept a more realistic path forward.

• napoleon
• indians
• foster care
• freedom

During their escape, Napoleon slips and begins falling off a cliff edge. Major grabs Napoleon's clothing with his teeth and pulls him back up to safety using a rope, demonstrating that the lion is not just a pet but a capable guardian in life-threatening situations.

• major lion
• cliff
• save napoleon
• rope

Danny is arrested because when he leaves the children with Mark Pierson and goes looking for Samantha's family, the authorities question where the children are. Since Napoleon and Samantha ran away from home and Danny was last seen with them, he becomes the prime suspect in a kidnapping case.

• danny arrested
• kidnapping
• police

A black bear chases Napoleon back to Samantha and Major in a forest clearing. Though tired from their long journey, Major rises to defend the children. The lion battles the bear and successfully drives it away, cementing his role as their protector.

• major lion
• bear fight
• protect children

Major the lion is described as having bad teeth, which explains why he can only drink milk rather than eating raw meat. This detail makes him seem more like a domestic pet than a wild predator, which is why the children are able to keep him and why he becomes attached to them.

• major lion
• bad teeth
• milk
• circus lion

Napoleon and his grandfather meet Dimetri the Clown, who cannot take Major back to Europe. Rather than abandon the former circus lion, they agree to keep him temporarily while they figure out what to do. They set up a makeshift enclosure in a chicken cage until a solution is found.

• major lion
• clown
• adopt
• circus

Eight-year-old Samantha joins Napoleon because she is his friend and wants to support him during his difficult time. After his grandfather dies and Napoleon faces the prospect of an orphanage, Samantha chooses to accompany him and Major on their dangerous journey to find Danny.

• samantha
• napoleon
• friend
• journey

Napoleon agrees to try foster care because Danny promises that Major will be allowed to stay in the mountains nearby. This compromise satisfies Napoleon's need to keep his lion companion while also giving him a stable home and family structure through the foster system.

• napoleon
• foster care
• major
• mountains
• danny