Chapter 1 
On the River Iss At the end of Gods of Mars, Dejah Thoris is trapped in a revolving shaft in the Temple of the Sun for one year. However, John Carter finds that after six Martian months the imprisoned Dejah Thoris with Thuvia and Phaidor can be released. Helium's throne was offered to Carter and refused; Tardos Mors and Mors Kajak had not returned from their search for Carthoris, and Carthoris has been named temporary Jeddak of Helium. Carter follows Thurid, who boards a small boat and enters the river Iss. Carter and his calot companion Woola follow. Thurid greets a boatload of therns led by Matai Shang. Carter paddles up a convergent subterranean river to avoid them on their return. Finding a place to pull aside, Carter learns how to access the cells in the revolving shaft. Thurid intends to capture Dejah Thoris. Matai Shang desires the return of his daughter, and both agree to punish Carter by defiling Dejah Thoris, who curbs his rage and follows.

 Chapter 2 
Under the Mountains Carter gets lost when he has to choose one of three tunnels. He chooses the center path which leads to a dead end. Returning to the underground juncture, he is back on the trail when he discovers that this branch also ends. Paddling into an eddy to rest, he hears what he could not see: the boat of the others tied near the wall. Carter telepathically uses Woola to follow and eventually arrives at a guardroom containing two therns. He hopes to pass unmolested. The guards attempt to deceive him but Woola, following the scent, leads Carter down a different path. A clank of harness warns Carter. that Lakor and his companion thern guard had hurried ahead with drawn swords waiting to ambush. Listening to their whispered conversation, Carter hopes to learn more, but sneezes, and gives himself away.

 Chapter 3 
The Temple of the Sun During the ensuing swordfight, Lakor trips Carter with a belt, but Woola shreds the therns, rescuing Carter. Carter dresses in In Lakor's garb, he and Woola proceed as far as a chamber of rare venomous reptiles. They cross and attain the Temple of the Sun. Carter finds Thurid's radium flash torch, and after hours of study, he discovers that a pinhole lock is light-activated. Entering a room of transparent winding corridors, they see in the distance Dejah Thoris, Thuvia, and Phaidor carried away by Matai Shang, Thurid and other therns.

 Chapter 4 
The Secret TowerAfter many days in the crystal labyrinth, they find the fortress of Matai Shang. By night in thern disguise Carter enters with Woola and is led by a guard to Matai Shang's empty chamber. From there he moves to a courtyard where pronounces a death sentence on Carter and announces his own marriage to Dejah Thoris for one year. Carter taunts him and Thurid by trampling the holy wig and verbally denigrating Issus. Twelve banths are sent to battle them, but Thuvia controls the banths. Carter springs to the balcony but Matai Shang and Thurid escape, and Phaidor propositions Carter. He declines, she flees, and Carter kills two guards and follows a third. After killing him, Carter ascends the outside of the tower to its roof, where he is kicked in the face by Thurid.

 Chapter 5 
On the Kaolian RoadCarter's harness catches on a stone projection, where he cautiously retraces his way to the roof after hearing the whirring propellers of their flier departing. Carter uses a second flier, and after picking up Woola from the inner court, he races northeast to the city of Kaol, following Matai Shang, Thurid, and Dejah Thoris. In daylight, Thurid recognizes Carter and fires a radium projectile, disabling Carter's ship and causing it to drift to the groundin the land of Kaol. Woola sets off into the maze of immense trees, and after a night of fitful sleep, the pair is attacked by a massive flying insect called a sith. Carter and Woola battle it, until a warrior mounted on a thoat, Torkar Bar, rescues them and them to the city of Kaol. Carter smears his body with red pigment to disguise his white skin and seeks for a way to sneak into the city. He is frustrated and discouraged, and returns to the forest to sleep.

 Chapter 6 
A Hero in Kaol Carter awakens the next morning to the muffled sounds of green warriors, waiting to ambush anyone emerging through the city gate, but Carter leaps to warn the red men, and the tharks attack. Carter fights mightily, and distinguishes himself by his extraordinary skill with a sword and with his mighty leaps. The battle continues all day. The jeddak Kulan Tith asks Carter's name, and he uses the name Dotar Sojat. Carter is assigned comfortable quarters within the palace, and he tells the jeddak that he is from Hastor, and was in a flier accident. Matai Shang and Thurid enter the throne room and suspect that Dotar Sojat is Carter in disguise, but they say nothing. Carter begins to search the palace for Dejah Thoris, but is unable to find her. After falling asleep he is summoned to the Jeddak.

 Chapter 7 
New AlliesCarter is taken before Kulan Tith, Jeddak of Kaol, where his disguise of red pigment is revealed by Thurid. Kulan Tith consigns Carter to the pits but Thuvan Dihn, Jeddak of Ptarth, intervenes for saving his daughter Thuvia. Kulan Tith, still a true believer, banishes Carter from Kaol forever and tells Thuvan Dihn to settle his differences with Matai Shang, the Father of Therns, elsewhere. Carter tells Kulan Tith that Matai Shang is holding both Dejah Thoris and Thuvia prisoner at Kaol, which Matai Shang denies. Kulan Tith promises their releasein the morning if true, but Matai Shang flees. Kulan Tith feels responsible and offers his aid. Carter, Thuvan Dihn, and Woola follow Matai Shang in a repaired flier.

 Chapter 8 
Through the Carrion CavesCarter, Thuvan Dihn, and Woola fly to the ice barrier of the pole and crash into an ice-wall, where they decide to walk around the barrier to find a way through. After killing several apts, they meet one with a golden collar that trots away. Woola helps them track the apt to the Carrion Caves. They suspect they have reached the home of the legendary yellow men. They send Woola back to Carthoris for help with a note in a metal case around his neck. They pass the sleeping apts and a series of 27 connecting chambers. After the caves they come across the black-bearded yellow men who each carry two swords. Six men dressed in the black and yellow striped hide of the orluk are about to ambush a man dressed in the white fur of an apt. When the six yellow men attack the other man, the man. Talu, Prince of Marentina, kills one of his adversaries, and Carter joins the battle.

 Chapter 9 
With the Yellow MenWith Thuvan Dihn's help the three kill the five attackers. Talu tells them that Helium's "ruler and his company" are captives of Salensus Oll, Talu's uncle, with whom he is at war. They go to Marentina, a nearly inaccessible glass-domed city. Here Thuvan Dihn and Carter are transformed into the appearance of yellow men and infiltrate Salensus Oll's ranks. Carter and Thuvan Dihn go to a cave outside the glass-domed city of Kadabra. The following morning they hail a hunting party and return to the city with them at night. Just before entering, a war vessel comes in view, and is destroyed. The survivors are taken captive and all enter the city.

 Chapter 10 
In DuranceCarter and Thuvan Dihn go to a public house. The next morning the two volunteer for service in the palace guard. They are quartered in the palace to await approval by Salensus Oll. From his quarters Carter sees then calls to Dejah Thoris and Thuvia, who, unrecognized, spurn him . Thurid enters the garden where the women pace and tries to persuqde Dejah Thoris to come with him to escape Matai Shang. Thurid loses his temper and grabs her. Carter rips the bars from his room window and leaps to her defense. Salensus Oll interrupts their struggle and Carter explains that as an aspirant to the guard he had seen Thurid molesting the woman. Matai Shang whispers something to him that causes him to order Carter put in chains.

 Chapter 11 
The Pity of PlentyCarter reviews events of the previous days while incarcerated. On the third day he is tried before Salensus Oll; Dejah Thoris is also present. Carter is sentenced and lowered into a hundred-foot deep pit with polished walls, where he is psychologically tortured for nine days by food being unobtainable behind the walls. A small packet with food pills is dropped, along with a message.

 Chapter 12 
"Follow the Rope"Carter escapes via a side passage fifty feet from the bottom, and spies on Solan and Thurid plotting. Thurid bribes Solan so that he might steal Dejah Thoris before Salensus Oll can wed her. Thurid repeats his escape route to Solan, to make sure it is correct. After Thurid leaves, Carter hears Solan voice his intended treachery. Carter manages to continue his escape, and ends up in a guardroom and surrenders to the yellow man wearing the ring, who helps him escape. Carter comes upon a dozen red men polishing weapons under three yellow guards. The Virginian does battle, recognizing Tardos Mors and Mors Kajak, then belatedly learns all the red men are shackled to the floor.

 Chapter 13 
The Magnet SwitchCarter in swordplay kills one and forces the remaining two guards, cuts away at the chains of Tardos Mors and Mors Kajak, and frees them. Carter's contingent retreats toward the upper chambers of the tower. When they reach the top of the tower, they see the army of Helium entering the city, led by Carthoris, Woola and Tars Tarkas. To their horror, they then see Helium's air fleet being drawn to their destruction by the magnetic shaft. Carter turns the assault to descend the stairway Remembering seeing the controls for the magnet, battles Solan, and disables the switch while killing Solan.

 Chapter 14 
The Tide of BattleCarter flees down a passageway to what turns out to be an antechamber where he hears Salensus Oll addressing his nobles. Carter springs from his hiding place when he sees the Jeddak present a manacled Dejah Thoris to his nobles as the next queen of Okar. He leaps to the dais to wrest his princess from the scoundrel and to protect her from the advancing nobles. In the melee, Carter notices the taunting, cunning faces of Matai Shang and Phaidor, who soon disappear through a doorway. along with Dejah Thoris.

 Chapter 15 
Rewards Carter realizes that Thurid has abducted Dejah Thoris and has gone down the corridor taken by Matai Shang and Phaidor. After donning winter clothing he follows their trail through the snow until he sees a cave mouth from which a flier has been dragged. Dejah Thoris's abductors double their efforts to launch the malfunctioning flier when they see their pursuer racing toward them. He climbs to the rail just as Thurid throws Matai Shang to his death. Then, as Thurid lunges at Carter, a repenting Phaidor steps between them, kills the black dator, and leaps to her own death.

 Chapter 16 
The New Ruler After landing the crippled flier, Carter and Dejah Thoris return to the chamber of Solan where they are threatened by an angry mob of escaping nobles. Carter holds them at bay until Talu and his rebels arrive. He then addresses the victorious warriors from all over Barsoom -- red, white, black, yellow and green -- and declares Talu the new Jeddak. Reunited at last, Carter, Dejah Thoris, Carthoris and Thuvia, return to Helium where he is declared Jeddak of Jeddaks -- Warlord of Barsoom - along with Dejah Thoris.