After giving up his hope of marrying Jane, Tarzan becomes entangled in a conspiracy involving Count and Countess de Coude during a voyage to Europe, making bitter enemies of the Russians Rokoff and Paulvitch before confronting their schemes in Paris and undertaking dangerous work for the French government in North Africa. He survives intrigue, attempted murder, and desert adventures while continuing to struggle with the question of whether he truly belongs to civilized society, even as Jane and Clayton sail for Africa aboard the Lady Alice and are drawn toward disaster on the same continent. The first half therefore follows Tarzan between Europe and Algeria, using espionage, duels, and survival to test the uneasy balance between his aristocratic identity and the instincts formed during his life in the jungle.
