The evil dictator Ajak sends his armies to attack a neighboring kingdom, and during the battle, the besieged King Annurius orders one of his subjects to take his son Ursus to a place of safety outside of the city, after first putting a royal medallion around the baby's neck.

Later through a series of incidents, the baby Ursus winds up being abandoned alone in a hidden valley in the wilderness where he is adopted and raised by a pride of lions who mistake him for one of their cubs.

Ursus manages to free himself from the king's dungeon and kill Ajak's henchman Lothar by throwing him into a kennel of ferocious, slavering hyenas.

Ursus then makes his way to the grand arena and physically holds back the elephants, saving the condemned civilians from a fiery death.

When the people realize Ursus is their rightful ruler and revolt against their evil king, Ajak tries to sneak out of the arena, but he is attacked and mauled to death by Simba the lion, who spent the last half of the picture waiting patiently to avenge the deaths of his fellow lions.