Tarzan of the Apes is a coming of age story of John Clayton, the son of an English couple who are marooned in the western coastal jungles of equatorial Africa. His father is killed by the savage king ape Kerchak, and his mother dies of natural causes. At one year old, Clayton is adopted by the she-ape Kala and renamed Tarzan, or "white-skin" in the ape language.

Feeling cast off when her best friend outgrows their shared love for a favorite celebrity, Cath, a dedicated fan-fiction writer, struggles to survive on her own in her first year of college while avoiding a surly roommate, bonding with a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words and worrying about her fragile father.