The year is 1983. The suborbital transport Spindrift was supposed to be making a routine flight from Los Angeles to London—until a freak storm hurled it through a rift in time and space. Crash-landing on a bizarre world where apes rule and humans are little more than mute primitives, Captain Steve Burton and his crew find themselves caught in a desperate struggle for survival.

Hunted by the fanatical General Urko, scrutinized by the inquisitive Dr. Zira and Cornelius, and condemned by the ever-suspicious Dr. Zaius, the Spindrift survivors must evade capture, uncover the terrifying truth of this planet’s history, and find a way home. But with their ship damaged and the future uncertain, escape may not be their only option—liberation may be the key to their survival.