Following the accident of a tiny plane in a remote region of Central China, some people survive, including a Chinese youngster and his American guardian. While they wait to be rescued, they come face to face with the legendary Yeren— an enigmatic ape-man species fabled to have inhabited the Shennongjia mountains for millennia. When deadly poachers arrive to capture the Yeren, our heroes must decide whether to make the strange creature a friend or foe.