Tarzan of the Apes

John and Alice (Rutherford) Clayton, Viscount and Lady Greystoke from England, are marooned in the western coastal jungles of equatorial Africa in 1888. Some time later, their son John Clayton II is born. When he is one year old his mother dies from malaria, and soon thereafter his father is killed by the savage king ape Kerchak. The infant is then adopted by the she-ape widow Kala, who lost her previous son after dropping it from a treetop while being chased by Kerchak.
Clayton is named "Tarzan" ("White Skin" in the ape language) and raised in ignorance of his human heritage.
As a boy, feeling alienated from his peers due to their physical differences, he discovers his true parents' cabin, where he first learns of others like himself in their books. Using basic primers with pictures, over many years he teaches himself to read English, but having "never heard it, cannot speak it."
Upon his return from one visit to the cabin, he is attacked by a huge gorilla which he manages to kill with his father's knife, although he is terribly wounded in the struggle. As he grows up, Tarzan becomes a skilled hunter, exciting the jealousy of Kerchak, who finally attacks him. Tarzan kills Kerchak and takes his place as "king" of the apes.
Later, a tribe of black Africans settle in the area, and Kala is killed by one of its hunters. Avenging himself on the killer, Tarzan begins an antagonistic relationship with the tribe, raiding its village for weapons and practicing cruel pranks on them. They, in turn, regard him as an evil spirit and attempt to placate him.
A few years later, when Tarzan is twenty-one, a new party is marooned on the coast, including nineteen-year-old Jane Porter, the first white woman he has ever seen. Tarzan's cousin, William Cecil Clayton, unwitting usurper of the ape man's ancestral English estate, is also among the party. Tarzan spies on the newcomers, aids them in secret, and saves Jane from the perils of the jungle.
With another ship comes French naval officer Paul D'Arnot. While Tarzan is rescuing D'Arnot from the natives, D'Arnot's crew recover the castaways and depart Africa, presuming Tarzan and D'Arnot dead. D'Arnot teaches Tarzan to speak French and offers to take Tarzan to the land of white men where he might connect with Jane again. On their journey, D'Arnot teaches him how to behave among white men.
Ultimately, Tarzan travels to find Jane in northern Wisconsin, where he rescues her from a fire. Tarzan learns the bitter news that she has become engaged to another man. Meanwhile, clues from his parents' cabin have enabled D'Arnot to prove Tarzan's true identity as John Clayton II, the Earl of Greystoke. Instead of reclaiming his inheritance from William, Tarzan chooses to conceal and renounce his heritage for the sake of Jane's happiness.