Exhausted by his efforts to chop down a great kapok tree in the Brazilian rainforest, a man falls asleep under the tree, and the creatures living in the tree come out to plead with him not to destroy their home.
Monkey is stuck on an island made of desserts, and Fox on one made of dirt and rocks, but as time passes, fortunes change and they learn about sharing and caring.
President Theodore Roosevelt does not approve of cutting down living trees just to be used as Christmas decorations, but his two young sons try to sneak one into the White House anyway.
When dragons cut down too many trees, blow out too much hot air, and do other environmental damage, the future looks grim, but other animals advise them on how to mend their ways and save the planet.
Running Deer and his fellow tribesmen take special care of their land until they lose it to invading white settlers, who wear it out and leave it to recover on its own.