Goodall meets Louis Leakey in Kenya and accepts a job as his assistant secretary at the Nairobi Museum of Natural History.

Leakey offers Goodall the unexpected opportunity to lead a long-term chimpanzee study in Tanzania's Gombe Stream Reserve.

Goodall and her mother Vanne travel by boat across Lake Tanganyika and arrive at Gombe Stream Reserve to begin the study.

Goodall and her mother Vanne both contract malaria and are too ill to leave their tents for two weeks.

Goodall observes Gombe chimps using grass stems as tools to extract termites from nests, contradicting the view that only humans use tools.

Goodall's discoveries of chimp tool use and meat eating help Louis Leakey secure new funding from the National Geographic Society.

Adult male chimp David Graybeard begins making regular visits into Goodall's camp to eat palm nuts and steal bananas.

National Geographic photographer Hugo van Lawick arrives at Gombe to film and photograph Goodall's chimpanzee study.

Goodall receives a marriage proposal by telegram from van Lawick and the two marry in London shortly after.

Goodall and van Lawick return to Gombe after a brief honeymoon and discover that Flo has given birth to a son named Flint.

Chimp Mike uses empty kerosene cans from Goodall's camp to amplify his displays and rises to become the dominant male.

The Gombe Stream Research Center is established with National Geographic Society funding to host student researchers and expand the study.

A polio epidemic sweeps through the Gombe chimp group, killing six individuals and leaving several others severely disabled.

Goodall places oral polio vaccine drops on bananas to vaccinate the Gombe chimps and slow the spread of the epidemic.

In a profound final memory, Goodall offers David Graybeard a nut, and he gently holds her hand instead.

Jane Goodall's journey from secretary to world-renowned primatologist began with a chance meeting with Louis Leakey in Kenya, who selected her to lead a chimpanzee study in Tanzania's Gombe Stream Reserve. After arriving at Gombe with her mother, Goodall endured early hardships including a bout of malaria before making groundbreaking observations of tool use that secured crucial new funding for the study. The arrival of photographer Hugo van Lawick deepened both the scientific record and her personal life, leading to their marriage and a rushed honeymoon before returning to document Flo's newborn infant Flint. As the study expanded, Goodall witnessed chimp Mike's dramatic rise to dominance before a devastating polio epidemic forced her to intervene by vaccinating the chimps against the spreading illness. The study eventually grew into an internationally recognized research center, and Goodall used her platform to advocate forcefully for chimpanzee welfare and survival. Her enduring connection to the chimps is captured in her final memory of David Graybeard — the first chimp to accept her — holding her hand.

The core story of Goodall's landmark chimpanzee study

Goodall joins Louis Leakey and his wife on paleontological digs at Olduvai Gorge, experiencing African wildlife for the first time.

Conflict among fishermen delays Goodall's study at Gombe, so she temporarily observes vervet monkeys on an island in Lake Victoria.

Goodall and Vanne help distribute food to hundreds of Belgian refugees who have fled violence in Congo and arrived in Kigoma.

Vanne Goodall opens an informal medical clinic at camp, treating local villagers' ailments and helping establish goodwill with the community.

Goodall witnesses several male chimps performing a dramatic rain dance, charging downhill and waving branches wildly during a storm.

Goodall's sister Judy visits Gombe and successfully photographs chimps using tools at termite mounds and documents daily camp life.

As David Graybeard grows comfortable around camp, he approaches van Lawick directly and attempts to steal extra clothes from him.

Van Lawick films a fight between baboons and chimps at the feeding station, one of very few recorded instances of such conflict.

Flo enters estrus and mates with every adult male in the group without any competition or conflict occurring between the males.

Van Lawick develops dung-swirling, a method of washing chimp dung to identify partially digested food and document the chimps' year-round diet.

Chimps become so bold and destructive in camp that Goodall implements a strict rule against any deliberate physical contact with chimps.

Rodolf kills a young baboon after several Gombe chimps carry out a deliberate, coordinated stalk through the trees.

Olly gently carries her polio-stricken infant's dead body for days, attracting curious stares from other chimps and baboons before abandoning it.

Goodall publicly condemns poachers, the bushmeat trade, zoos, and medical laboratories as serious threats to chimpanzee welfare and survival.

Goliath declines in both health and social status and begins spending most of his time alone after David Graybeard dies.

Before Goodall's study could even begin, her path to Gombe took unexpected turns — from assisting Leakey at Olduvai Gorge to studying vervet monkeys during delays and helping feed Belgian refugees in Kigoma. Once at Gombe, her mother Vanne played a pivotal role by running a clinic for local villagers, earning the goodwill of the surrounding community during the study's fragile early months. Goodall documented remarkable chimp behaviors including a dramatic rain dance performed by males during a storm and Flo's estrus period, in which all adult males mated without competition, revealing surprising social dynamics. Photographer van Lawick captured rare footage of a baboon-chimp fight, while the chimps' increasing boldness around humans eventually forced Goodall to implement strict protocols about physical contact. A coordinated chimp hunt of a baboon and the prolonged grief of Olly carrying her dead infant highlighted the violence and tragedy woven into daily life at Gombe. The book closes with the declining Goliath mourning the loss of his companion David Graybeard, a quiet reminder of the deep bonds Goodall had come to recognize in the chimps.

Behind-the-scenes moments from life and fieldwork at Gombe

Leakey deliberately selects Goodall for the chimp study because her lack of formal training means she is unbiased by academic theory.

After months of failed observations, Goodall spots a large group of chimps feeding at a fig tree from her vantage point at The Peak.

Goodall observes Gombe chimps catching and eating a bush pig, disproving the assumption that chimpanzees are primarily vegetarian.

Goodall begins naming individual chimps — including David Graybeard, Goliath, Flo, and Mr. McGregor — to track their distinct behaviors and personalities.

Male chimps subject Goodall to five months of escalating aggression and hostility before slowly growing more tolerant of her presence.

Louis Leakey arranges a place for Goodall at Cambridge University to earn a fast-tracked PhD in ethology.

At Christmas, Goodall sits close enough to groom David Graybeard, calling the intimate moment a Christmas gift to treasure.

William falls ill, enters camp one last time to steal the cook's blanket, and is never seen by Goodall again.

Goodall observes that Flo develops a lasting and affectionate companionship with Rodolf, who comforts and escorts her when she is distressed.

After chimps raid tents and fishermen's huts, Goodall relocates the feeding station further up the valley away from camp.

Fifi successfully carries baby Flint away from Flo for the first time, with Flo eventually permitting her to do so.

Mr. McGregor becomes paralyzed from the waist down due to polio and is attacked and shunned by his former companions.

Goodall and van Lawick physically step in front of the defenseless Mr. McGregor to shield him from Goliath's attack.

Orphaned Merlin grows depressed and develops compulsive self-grooming, social withdrawal, and an inability to use tools after his mother vanishes.

Baby Flame dies of flu, and Flint — deeply attached to Flo — regresses into clinging, infantile behavior with his aging mother.

Leakey's unconventional decision to hire Goodall precisely because she lacked academic training proved to be a turning point in primatology, as her fresh perspective led to discoveries that forced scientists to redefine what makes humans unique. After months of failed observation, Goodall's first clear sighting of a large chimp group at a fig tree marked the breakthrough she had been waiting for, and she began naming individual chimps to track their distinct personalities and life stories. The chimps' prolonged aggression toward Goodall eventually gave way to remarkable moments of trust, culminating in her grooming David Graybeard and the haunting disappearance of the sickly William. Goodall's observations of chimp social dynamics — from Flo's tender companionship with Rodolf to the feeding station's chaos and Fifi's first steps as a caregiver — revealed the emotional depth of chimp family life. The polio epidemic brought the study's darkest days, forcing Goodall to break her observer's protocol to shield the paralyzed Mr. McGregor, while orphaned chimps like Merlin demonstrated that emotional loss alone could prove fatal. Flint's deep dependence on his aging mother Flo and his regression after sibling Flame's death illustrated how profoundly the earliest relationships shape a chimpanzee's entire psychological life.