Here's a synopsis of the first book from Wikipedia. I don't know if they are using this story for the first movie:
John Carter, a
Confederate veteran of the
American Civil War, goes
prospecting in
Arizona immediately after the war's end. Having struck a rich vein of gold, he runs afoul of the
Apaches. While attempting to evade pursuit by hiding in a sacred cave, he is mysteriously transported to
Mars, called "
Barsoom" by its inhabitants. Carter finds that he has great strength and superhuman agility in this new environment as a result of its lesser
gravity. He soon falls in with the Tharks, a nomadic tribe of Green Martians, as the planet's warlike, six-limbed, green-skinned inhabitants are known. Thanks to his strength and combat abilities, Carter rises to a high position in the tribe and earns the respect and eventually the friendship of
Tars Tarkas, one of the Thark chiefs.
The Tharks subsequently capture
Dejah Thoris,
Princess of Helium, a member of the humanoid red Martian race. The red Martians inhabit a loose network of
city-states and control the desert planet's
canals, along which its
agriculture is concentrated. Carter rescues Dejah Thoris from the green men in a bid to return her to her people.
Subsequently Carter becomes embroiled in the political affairs of both the red and green men in his efforts to safeguard Dejah Thoris, eventually leading a horde of Tharks against the city-state of Zodanga, the historic enemy of Helium. Winning Dejah Thoris' hand, he becomes Prince of Helium, and the two live happily together for nine years.
However, the sudden breakdown of the Atmosphere Plant that sustains the planet's waning air supply endangers all life on Barsoom. In a desperate attempt to save the planet's inhabitants, Carter uses a secret telepathic code to enter the factory, bringing an engineer along who can restore its functionality. Carter then succumbs to asphyxiation, only to awaken back on
Earth, left to wonder what has become of Barsoom and his beloved.