Fourteen-year old Gerry lives with his parents in the African Savannah for part of each year. His parents are zoologists that have been studying a certain baboon troop for quite some time. Returning to the African Savannah after a visit to his hometown, the plane in which Gerry and his parents are traveling crashes. Gerry wakes up to find that he is living in a baboon's body; a baboon that is part of the very troop that his parents have been studying. In order to survive, Gerry struggles to find his place in the troop using his human intellect and understanding of the social structure of the troop as well as his baboon instincts. He must also find a way to locate his parents and convince them that their only son is now a baboon.