After expelling the tiger Shere Khan, Mowgli departs from the wolf pack that raised him and relocates to a human settlement to reunite with his own kind. There, he is taken in by a grieving couple, Messua and her husband, as he bears resemblance to their long-lost son Nathoo. The village priest consents to this arrangement to appease Messua’s affluent husband.

Over the course of three months, Mowgli acquaints himself with human language and customs, including attire, agricultural practices, currency, and social hierarchies, few of which impress him. He exhibits disrespect towards the village elders when they recount fanciful tales of the jungle, such as attributing the tiger to a reincarnation of a disabled moneylender, given his firsthand experience of the realities of the jungle. However, the allure of a 100-rupee reward for the tiger’s skin is undeniably substantial.

During this period, Mowgli clandestinely ventures out of the village to rendezvous with his wolf comrade, Grey Brother, who updates him on the occurrences in the jungle.

To steer clear of trouble, the village elders assign Mowgli the task of herding buffalo. On a day of respite from this duty, he encounters Grey Brother once more, who informs him of Shere Khan’s return and malevolent intentions towards Mowgli.

In the subsequent weeks, Grey Brother surveils Shere Khan while Mowgli fulfills his obligations in the village. Ultimately, he reunites with Mowgli and reveals that Shere Khan is lurking in a nearby ravine, preparing to launch an attack. Mowgli learns that Grey Brother acquired this intelligence from Shere Khan’s associate, Tabaqui the jackal, whom he vanquished.

Assisted by Akela, Mowgli and Grey Brother split the buffalo herd and instigate a stampede from opposite ends of the ravine, leading to the tiger’s demise between them.

As promised, Mowgli proceeds to skin Shere Khan with the intention of presenting the hide on the wolf pack’s Council Rock. However, the village hunter, Buldeo, arrives following news of the stampede, demanding the skin for the reward. Despite his demands, Mowgli refuses and calls upon Akela to restrain him.

Upon release, the frightened hunter returns to the village and spreads rumors portraying Mowgli as a shapeshifting sorcerer. Consequently, the entire village, excluding Messua, turns against him and drives him away upon his return with the buffalo.

Bewildered and disillusioned by their conduct, Mowgli honors his vow to lay Shere Khan’s hide on Council Rock and dances upon it, expressing his emotional turmoil. While the pack extends an offer to readmit Mowgli, he declines to forgive them for their earlier rejection. Instead, he resolves to hunt alone, accompanied only by his four wolf-brothers who adamantly refuse to be separated from him.

The narrative concludes with the assertion that Mowgli will eventually mature and marry, “but that is a story for grown-ups.” This alludes to Kipling’s earlier story “In the Rukh,” aimed at an adult audience, in which the adult Mowgli indeed marries.