The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Widow Douglas and Miss Watson take Huck in and attempt to civilize him with manners, religion, and schooling. Huck remains restless and dreams of freedom away from adult rules and society. He longs for life outside St. Petersburg.

Pap Finn returns after hearing of Huck's wealth and demands custody. The court grants custody to Pap, and Huck is taken to a remote cabin where he is locked away and abused.

Huck stages his own murder with pig's blood, creating a ruse to escape his father and civilization. He flees to Jackson's Island, an isolated river refuge.

On the island, Huck meets Jim, Miss Watson's enslaved servant who has run away to avoid being sold. Huck initially sees Jim as property but grows to view him as a friend.

Huck and Jim build a raft and embark on a journey down the Mississippi River seeking freedom. They face dangers and deception along the way.

They encounter a house floating on the river containing a dead man; Jim keeps Huck from looking at the face. It is later revealed the dead man was Pap Finn.

Huck and Jim pick up two conmen claiming to be English duke and French king. The frauds stay aboard to avoid trouble and later scam towns with fake plays.

The Wilks fraud unfolds as the conmen pretend to be the deceased man's brothers; Huck sees the nieces' kindness and secretly hides the fortune they intend to steal. The real brothers arrive and the fraud is exposed; they barely escape mob justice.

The conmen betray Huck and Jim by selling Jim to the Phelps family for a reward, intending to return him to his owner. Huck faces a moral crisis about helping a runaway slave.

Huck disguises himself and goes to the Phelps property to free Jim, writing a letter to Miss Watson but tearing it up and declaring, 'All right, I’ll go to hell' to help Jim. He decides to defy society's racist norms.

The king and duke are captured again due to another scam, providing a diversion. Huck manages to free Jim and escape back to the raft.

Jim reveals that the dead man in the floating house was Pap Finn, meaning Huck is now free from his abusive father. Miss Watson dies and, in her will, grants Jim his freedom.

Jim continues north to find his family, and Huck rejects civilization, deciding to light out for the Territory in search of freedom and adventure.