One stormy night off the coast off Africa, a ship caught fire and started to sink. A man on the ship lowered a lifeboat holding his wife and baby boy. Then he jumped into the water. He swam to the lifeboat, took the oars, and began rowing. When the man and his family reached land the next morning, they found a dense jungle. They picked out a large tree where they could live, and began building a home. Deep within the jungle lived another family. It was a group of apes, watched over and protected by their leader, Kerchak. The two families didn't know it, but one day would have something in common.