Following the apparent loss of his beloved princess Dejah Thoris, John Carter haunts the grim shaft of the Temple of the Sun in the Valley Dor. When the black dator Thurid escapes with a sinister alliance of Holy Therns to resurrect their ruined cult, Carter sets out in relentless pursuit through perilous subterranean rivers and forbidden caverns. His journey leads him beneath the polar ice-barrier into Okar, the hidden realm of the yellow men ruled by the tyrannical Salensus Oll. Along the way, he encounters forgotten tribes, ferocious apts, and the lingering remnants of a crumbling ancient order that still threatens the freedom of Barsoom.
Reunited with old allies like the green warrior Tars Tarkas and joined by brave new companions, Carter must navigate deadly political intrigues and impossible odds across an alien continent. The narrative builds toward a massive military confrontation at the capital city of Kadabra, where the converging forces of Helium, Ptarth, Kaol, and the green hordes clash to dismantle the last bastion of oppression. Throughout this arduous trek, Carter's unwavering resolve remains tested by relentless perils and deceptive foes. The conclusion offers a glimpse of hard-won peace and the restoration of justice, though not without exacting a heavy toll from those who fought to reclaim their world.
