This book is the 2nd of the Martian series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first being "A Princess of Mars", which is mostly about how John Carter comes to meet his future bride, the princess of Helium (Helium refers to a martian race of red-skinned people), Dejah Thoris. The book originally was written as a 5-part serial series published in the All-Story Magazine from January - May 1913.
This book starts off about 10 years after the 1st book where we find John Carter on earth trying to find a way back to Mars. He happens to get back by an intense memory of the past regarding how he arrived on Mars as well as his desire to be on Mars which allowed him to basically transport to Mars.
Through this he happens to arrive in a fairley deserted area where few men are. While walking ans taking in the scenery he happens to come across on old green martian friend, Jeddak of Tharks (Tharks is race of green-skinned martians and Jeddak refers to highest military rank), Tars Tarkas. While talking with Tars Tarkas, John Carter and Tars Tarkas discover some martian monsters such as white apes and creatures with many legs with sharp fangs along the way. They fight these creatures for hours on end even while seeking shelter inside a tree. But during a dull time of night when the monsters fought no more but decided to place a siege on John Carter on his friend, John Carter found a route of "escape" from these monsters.
Upon their "escape", the cave door closes and Tars Tarkas reveals to John Carter they have happened to slip into the path of no return or the path where the people believe they go to get to heaven (not easy to explain but basically a martian superstition). They find out very quickly this is not the case. As upon their entrance a voice warns them of instant doom and creatures appear from the dark to attack them. John Carter being the true warrior, and Jeddak of Helium, discovers that the creatures don't come from thin air but from a trap door directly behind them that opens/closes through certain movements that John Carter and Tars Tarkas make.
Once John Carter slips below he soon discovers that prisoners are in chains and trapped leaving Tars Tarkas above to fend for himself. Once spotted, John Carter has to carefully dispose of several guards including one one whom happened upon a gun that John Carter was able to fend away and use himself. Then happens upon the first time that the fair, beautiful Thuvia is introduced in the book. John Carter frees the prisoners in chains but not before he is helped by Thuvia as how to properly do so as well as gain an entrance to the lower chambers to free the others. But before he opens the chambers he opens the hatch that would led him back to Tars Tarkas to help him dispose of all the evil creatures above. Soon afterwards they are both able to dispose of the creatures and head down below to the chambers and hopefully closer to their escape.
Through this journey they go deeper and deeper into the Lost Sea of Korus in the Valley Dor eventually reaching the site of the Temple of Issus. They encounter flesh-eating therns or holy men of mars, black barsoom or black men or Mars (long history of first-borns explained in book), Phaidor or daughter of Matai Shang who is father of the therns, a black barsoom named Xodar and eventually Issus (whom the black barsooms believe to be a deity instead of a wicked, old and deceitful women) herself. Phaidor and Xodar became companions on their travel due to being saved by John Carter and owing their allegiance and lifes to him.
But along the way John Carter, Xodar and Phaidor all become prisoners of Issus, along with a young boy that looks and fights just like John Carter, and are given only one year to live. Due to John Carter's weightless mass on Mars, in comparison to Earth, he is able to jump out of the cages (open above) and memorize the guard routes and devise a plan to escape. He does and is able to not only escape but destroy a large part of Issus's palace and save Phaidor once again. Although they had escaped it took many hours for them to find Thuvia (who was later captured) and Tars Tarkas and to truely escape from the Temple of Issus to the outer world or Mars surface. Upon their escape, John Carter finds out that this boy that looked and fought like him is his own son, Cathoris (from mixture of Carter and Thoris).
Once along the surface of Mars, they are reunited with the people of Helium rejoicing in the arrival of their long lost son, Cathoris, and prince of Helium, John Carter. But among the rejoicing news that Dejah Thoris left just days ago with her best subject, Sola, daughter of Tars Tarkas (because of events in 1st book).
Despite the desire to rescue them, John Carter and his companions had to be tried for the charge of having gone to the land where people go to die (Lost Sea of Korus in the Valley Dor) and having come back (better explained in story). This where an evil man named Zat Arras [rank not clarified but close to judge], due to his jealousy of the love of Dejah Thoris, ensured that a John Carter would be sentenced to death for coming back from the land of no return. But John Carter being a clever man asked that the sentence not be carried out until the powerful Tardos Mors or his son [ranks not clarified but close to rulers] returned from their trip. Zat Arras agreed, due to fear of these powerful rulers, to allow this to be carried out which allowed John Carter to formulate a plan for his escape and rescue of Dejah Thoris.
Despite the secrecy which his meetings had maintained, a spy of Zat Arras found out about this and imprisoned John Carter for almost an Earth year (330 days). Zat Arras tried to allow John Carter freedom for the title of Jeddak of Helium (John Carter's title which would mean absolute and complete control of the armies of Helium) and for Dejah Thoris to never return to Helium. John Carter of course objected profusely and so began John Carter's long imprisonment. But at the end of his imprisonment, John Carter had managed to tell his son and loyal followers of John Carter where he was. This lead to his escape and ability to command an army that consisted of most of the armies of Helium and Tharks to help in the rescue of Dejah Thoris.
This rescue mission took several days and many men died on both sides of the battlefield but eventually he made it to Dejah Thoris and the Temple of Issus. Upon the discovery of Dejah Thoris, John Cater and Dejah embraced one another a short time before she allowed John Carter to go back to the battle to get their son and begin their escape to the outer surface. Upon arrival discovery of his son, they made their way to the chamber where John Carter had left Dejah Thoris but she was gone. This lead John Carter to a mad frenzy and eventually having to physically hold Issus ransom to find out where his princess had been placed. After exposing her as a fraud and getting the information he needed, he allowed the black barsoom ,who were furious and angered over the deceit they had lived through all these years, to make quick work of her.
Here he and his men went to the Temple of the Sun where not only his princess, Dejah Thoris, was captured but also Thuvia and Phaidor (the other women he rescued and who loved John Carter). But all the time that he was there they were in danger of never being able to escape due to the flooding that was starting to occur but John Carter told his men to go while he would never leave Dejah Thoris. After many back and forth debates between him, his men and Dejah Thoris telling him to go and save himself, the door that would trap the three female prisoners closed but not before John Carter saw a dagger towards Dejah Thoris and a shriek. Despite his longing to find out he would have to wait another year and was prompted then to escape so he may be able to find out next year, "what was the fate of my princess, Dejah Thoris?".
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