A cargo aircraft lands atop Tarzan's escarpment in Africa, looking for animals to transport back to civilization. While the crew traps lions, the three men aboard meet Tarzan, Jane, and their adopted son Boy. Watching Boy's playful tricks with three young elephants, Buck Rand, the head of a U.S. circus, realizes that Boy could become a spectacular act.
Suddenly, native attackers strike and a blazing jungle fire erupts. It seems that Tarzan and Jane have perished in the flames, and the men decide to take Boy with them as they flee. The chimpanzee Cheeta manages to awaken Tarzan and Jane just in time, and Cheeta tells Tarzan that Boy left with the strangers on the aircraft.
Tarzan, Jane, and Cheeta press on through the jungle, eventually crossing the Atlantic and arriving in New York City. The famous city dazzles Tarzan, who remains earnest, curious, and a touch bewildered by modern life. He gawks at clothing and gadgets, finds humor in the bustling streets, and is struck by the sounds of a public performance they hear from a “noisy box.” His impressions are vivid and often humorous, including a memorable quip about an opera singer and his fascination with taxi cabs. The sounds and scenes of urban life provoke a steady stream of observations about civilization, ethnicity, and livelihood, all seen through Tarzan’s simple, noble perspective.
Determined to reclaim Boy, Tarzan and Jane pursue legal avenues. In the courtroom, a judge asks Tarzan to consider the core values he would want to teach his adopted son, while the circus bringing Boy into the public eye relies on a sharp, unscrupulous voice: Gould Beaton, the opposing lawyer who tricks Jane into conceding that Boy was not born in the jungle and is not her biological child. The moment lands Tarzan in a tense confrontation in the courtroom, and he confronts the attorney in a dramatic outbreak of passion.
A dramatic rooftop escape follows as Tarzan flees from pursuing authorities after a window exit and a high ledge chase. To avoid arrest, Tarzan makes a daring plunge—an astounding 200-foot dive from the Brooklyn Bridge into the East River. The spectacle showcases Tarzan’s fearlessness and resourcefulness under pressure.
Back in the field, Tarzan locates the circus where Boy is being held and enlists the aid of the elephants, long restrained by their chains. He calls to them with his jungle yell, and the elephants respond with overwhelming force, tearing free the restraints and turning on their tormentors to free Boy and sow chaos within the circus. In the ensuing upheaval, Tarzan secures Boy’s safety and begins plans to return him to their African home.
Before they depart for Africa, the courtroom reaches a resolution: the judge grants Tarzan and Jane full legal custody of their adopted son, affirming their family’s bond and setting the stage for a final, hopeful reunion with their wild, untamed past. The journey blends wonder and danger, humor and heart, as Tarzan learns to navigate a world of new rules while keeping faith in the timeless truths he cherishes.
