Ten years ago, mankind paid a heavy price for its own stupidity. The dangerous and deadly ape influenza virus spread around the world and the world was completely destroyed. In the pristine jungle adjacent to San Francisco, Caesar (Andy Serkis) leads his gorilla companions to establish a carefree kingdom until one day, the tranquility of the gorilla's home is once again broken by humans. Humanity struggling in the old city is facing an energy crisis. They try to use the power station at the dam in the heart of the forest to provide energy. Young scientist Malcolm (Jason Clarke) tries to persuade DeRivers (Gary Oldman), the leader of the gathering place, to gain the trust and consent of the orangutan tribe through peaceful means. However, Caesar's good ally Koba (Toby Kebbell) cannot get rid of his hatred of mankind. He tries to challenge Caesar's authority. Humans and orangutans, both sides are carefully testing, but war is inevitable...