Tarzan (Christopher Lambert), the seventh Earl of Greystoke, is raised by apes after he's lost in the African jungle. An explorer discovers the adult Tarzan, reacquaints him with the English language and his rightful place in the British aristocracy, and introduces him to his beautiful assistant (Andie MacDowell). But Tarzan's encounters with civilization are fraught with difficulty as his allegiance shifts between his animal and human families.