During a severe drought in the Seeonee Jungle, predators and prey gather under an ancient peace agreement known as the Water Truce. The fragile calm is shattered when the feared Bengal tiger Shere Khan arrives. Scarred by encounters with humans and carrying a deep hatred toward mankind, Shere Khan immediately notices the presence of Mowgli, a human child raised by wolves. He declares that once the rains return and the truce ends, he will kill the “man-cub,” believing humans inevitably bring destruction through their use of fire, which the animals call the “red flower.”