Blueblooded mama's boy Waldo Emerson Smith-Jones is swept overboard during a south seas voyage for his lifelong ill health. He finds himself on a jungle island. His bookish education has not prepared him to cope with these surroundings, and he is a coward. He is terrified when he encounters primitive, violent men, ape-like throwbacks in mankind's evolutionary history.

Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Most well-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, he is also known for writing the Pellucidar series, the Amtor series, and the Caspak trilogy.