In the summer of 1910, a group of circus chimpanzees named Henri, Jacques, Antoinette and Dominique escape from a French circus after a train wreck and drift into the Oklahoma river bottoms, where a curious 14-year-old boy named Jay Berry Lee, Corey Sevier, lives with his family. The arrival of the chimps sets off a chain of small adventures and big decisions that hinge on trust, courage, and a boy’s longing for a better life.
Jay Berry Lee, Corey Sevier, finds himself challenged not just by a local bully named Toby, but by a deeper desire to prove himself capable of buying something he cares about—a horse named Annie at the nearby Mr. Patterson’s ranch. On the last day of school, a fight with Toby ends with Jay stealing Toby’s prized pocketknife, and a quick intervention by their teacher, Miss Freeman, leaves Toby with the victory he wanted and Jay facing the consequences at home. This incident foreshadows a pattern in Jay’s life: a boy who acts first, then has to reckon with authority and family, all while clinging to a stubborn, honest streak.
Seeking a way to earn real money, Jay visits Grandpa Sam Ferrans at his bustling general store and quietly dreams of a job that could fund his future. On the way, his dog Rowdy wanders toward the river bottoms, where the chimps have made their camp on Bayliss Hatcher’s property. Jay’s discovery of the chimps and his attempt to tell his sister Daisy about them—who sees the drawings of the horse and senses there’s more to his story than mischief—begin to weave the siblings’ fates together in unexpected ways. Daisy, who is dealing with a serious disability that restricts her physical activity, reveals her own hunger for a freer life, a contrast to the constraints her family places on her.
The chase for work leads Jay to the river bottoms, where he encounters both opportunity and danger. He learns that Bayliss Hatcher is a man with a past, a man who has faced his own battles, including a drinking problem that fractured his family. The town’s mood shifts as a wanted poster pops up, offering a bounty of $85 for the chimps, and Toby, along with two other bullies, makes moves to trap them. Jay, resourceful as ever, lays out a plan using apples as bait, then a monkey doll and a padded bear trap, only to see the chimps slip away and head toward the family’s farm with mischief in their wake. Daisy, who follows Jay outward, becomes a witness to the chaos and a quiet source of resilience for her brother.
When a dangerous moment arrives—Bayliss accidentally stepping into Jay’s bear trap and firing a gun into the sky—Daisy is jolted, loses her footing on a steep hill, and calls out for help. Jay rushes to her side, and their parents, seeing the evidence of the chimps’ mischief, ground Jay from working at Sam’s store for a time. The clash between belief and disbelief shadows the family, and for a moment the truth about the chimps feels lost in the tension of everyday life.
Determined to clear the air, Jay slips away again, returning to the river bottoms to track the chimps and maybe even make a deal with Bayliss, whom he discovers has a hidden heart beneath the surface of his tough exterior. Jay discovers a box bearing a photograph of Bayliss and his family, and he carries it back to Bayliss’ cabin, asking for forgiveness and a chance to spare the chimps from further danger. Bayliss, initially furious, finds himself moved by Jay’s honesty, and their uneasy relationship becomes a catalyst for a broader search. Sam ferries Jay to Ridgewell to deepen his knowledge about chimp behavior, while Jay meets Rose, a woman who teaches him French phrases and opens a doorway to a different way of seeing animals and people.
Back at the farm, Jay shows a willingness to learn and adapts his plan. He returns with Rowdy and demonstrates to Bayliss how to handle the chimps more safely, even saving Jacques from a perilous trap that could have killed him. In a tense moment, Toby lunges at Jay again, but Bayliss intervenes, driving away the bullies and tending to Jay and Rowdy. The chimps soon become regular guests on the farm as Jay creates a designated space in the barn and begins building a true cage to house them, signaling a commitment not just to rescue them but to protect them.
A powerful storm rolls in, bringing a tornado that devastates the surrounding land and leaves Bayliss’ cabin in ruins. The loss hits hard: Bayliss’ death is revealed in the wreckage, leaving Jay and his family to grapple with grief, responsibility, and a renewed sense of purpose. Mushroom blooms appear in Daisy’s garden as if nature itself whispers a strange form of hope. Jacques is gravely ill, and Jay accelerates his efforts to care for the chimpanzee, gathering the other chimps in a show of solidarity that tightens the bond between boy and beasts.
Jobert, the chimps’ owner, arrives with a clear-eyed sense of justice and compensation, paying Jay the $85 reward for finding and returning the chimps. The family’s earlier doubts begin to melt away as they see Jay’s perseverance. In the calm after the storm, Jay borrows Annie from the ranch and offers Daisy a gentle horseback ride, a moment of shared joy and healing that underscores how far they have come.
When Jay returns to the ranch, he sees his father at work, building a new horse stall for Annie. He steps in, gently proposing a different use for the reward money: the $85 would be saved to fund Daisy’s life-saving operation, a plan that Daisy overhears and greets with a profound hug of gratitude. In the end, the farm’s fragile dream of harmony—between human and animal, between belief and evidence, between work and family—feels earned through patience, courage, and a willingness to listen to the quiet truths of those who cannot always speak for themselves.
Throughout this journey, the relationships with the townsfolk remain grounded and sincere. Jay’s growth from a hopeful, impulsive boy into someone capable of balancing risk with responsibility becomes the story’s steady heartbeat. The chimps, once fugitives in the river bottoms, find a home on the farm, forging a bond with a boy who refuses to abandon them even when the odds are stacked against him. And as the family’s fears give way to trust, the final gesture—choosing Daisy’s life over a quick return on a reward—cements a message about care, loyalty, and the remarkable resilience of community.
