In Middle-earth, four races exist: elves, dwarfs, hobbits, and humans. The first three races possess magical rings - three for elves, seven for dwarfs, and nine for humans. In Mordor, the Dark Lord Sauron created a master ring to control all others, seeking dominion over Middle-earth. This prompted the elves, dwarfs, and humans to form an alliance against him.
In the ensuing battle, when victory seemed within reach for the alliance, Sauron appeared and overwhelmed them. At this crucial moment, Isildur (Harry Sinclair), the son of King Elendil, used his father’s sword to cut off Sauron’s finger, destroying the Dark Lord’s power. Though Isildur claimed the master ring, he was later killed in an attack, and the ring vanished.
The ring remained lost for 2,500 years until Gollum/Smeagol (Andy Serkis) found it. Living for 500 years under the ring’s corrupting influence, Gollum eventually lost it to Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm), a hobbit from the Shire. The ring then passed into the story’s main character, Bilbo’s nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood), whose family maintained a close friendship with the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen).
When Gandalf arrived for Bilbo’s birthday party in the Shire, Frodo greeted him at the village border and shared his concerns about Bilbo’s strange behavior of late—his uncle had taken to locking himself away for entire days. The party itself proved eventful when Bilbo, during his speech, announced his permanent departure and vanished using the master ring, leaving the other hobbits bewildered.
Gandalf, who had quietly followed Bilbo home, confronted his friend about the ring’s dangerous power and urged him to leave it behind. Though initially reluctant, Bilbo eventually agreed and departed without it. When Frodo later discovered the ring on the floor, Gandalf, unaware of its true nature, advised him to keep it hidden and safe.
Seeking answers, Gandalf traveled to research the magical rings, where an ancient manuscript revealed the terrible truth: the ring in Frodo’s possession was Sauron’s master ring itself, containing great evil power.
The Shire’s peace was shattered by the arrival of the Nazgûl—black-clad riders who sensed the master ring’s presence. When Frodo returned home, he found Gandalf waiting with grave news: the ring was Sauron’s creation, and though the Dark Lord had been defeated millennia ago, his spirit lived on through it. Now, his forces were gathering strength and marching toward the Shire to reclaim it.
Frightened, Frodo attempted to give the ring to Gandalf, but the wizard refused, knowing its power would only grow stronger in his possession. Instead, he instructed Frodo to flee to the village of Bree, warning him not to use the name “Baggins” during his journey. Their conversation was overheard by Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), whom Gandalf then compelled to accompany Frodo as punishment for eavesdropping.
Before their departure, Gandalf left to consult Saruman, the leader of the wizards, who revealed that Sauron was amassing a vast army to invade Middle-earth and warned that Mordor’s forces would soon locate the ring.
Saruman shocked Gandalf by proposing they join Sauron’s forces, leading to a battle that ended in Gandalf’s defeat. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam’s journey gained two unexpected companions—Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd)—after a chance encounter during their escape from an angry farmer. Together, they narrowly evaded a Nazgûl by hiding beneath tree roots before continuing to Bree by boat.
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In Bree, with Gandalf absent, Frodo encountered a mysterious figure called Strider (Viggo Mortensen). When Pippin accidentally revealed Frodo’s identity, Frodo tripped while trying to silence him and inadvertently put on the ring, becoming invisible but finding himself face-to-face with Sauron’s eye. Strider, who later pulled Frodo to safety, revealed the true nature of the Nazgûl—former kings of men corrupted by Sauron’s power—and led the group toward Rivendell, home of the elven leader Elrond (Hugo Weaving).
As these events unfolded, Sauron commanded Saruman to raise an army, while Gandalf awoke imprisoned atop a tower, witnessing the gathering forces below. The group’s journey took a dangerous turn when the Nazgûl launched a sudden attack during their evening rest.
During their encounter with the Nazgûl, Frodo was gravely wounded by the Witch-king of Angmar before Strider could intervene. Elrond’s daughter Arwen (Liv Tyler) found them and swiftly transported Frodo to Rivendell, using her powers to summon a flood that swept away the pursuing Nazgûl. Frodo recovered under elven care, reuniting with Gandalf, who had escaped Saruman’s tower with an eagle’s help.
In response to the growing threat, Elrond convened a war council of all races. When Boromir (Sean Bean) attempted to seize the master ring during the meeting, Gandalf intervened, leading to a confrontation. Amid the chaos, Legolas (Orlando Bloom) revealed Strider’s true identity as Aragorn, heir to Gondor’s throne. As debate raged over the ring’s fate, Frodo volunteered to carry it to Mordor for destruction, with Sam, Pippin, and Merry pledging to join him.
The night before their departure, Bilbo gifted Frodo his sword and expressed remorse for passing this burden to his nephew. The next morning, nine companions—Frodo, Sam, Pippin, Merry, Legolas, Aragorn, Boromir, Gandalf, and the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies)—set out as the Fellowship of the Ring, beginning their perilous journey to Mordor.
The Fellowship’s journey was soon complicated when Saruman’s spy crows, the Crebain, forced them to abandon their original route. After attempting to cross the mountains but being thwarted by Saruman’s interference, they chose to travel through Moria, Gimli’s homeland. Though Gandalf successfully opened the entrance, they were immediately confronted by a monster before entering the ancient underground city.
Inside Moria, they discovered a grim scene—all the dwarves had been slaughtered, leaving Gimli as potentially the last of his kind from this realm. Pippin’s accidental disturbance attracted an orc attack, during which Frodo survived a giant orc’s strike thanks to his mithril shirt, gifted by Bilbo. However, the true horror emerged when a demon known as the Balrog appeared.
Though Gandalf successfully confronted the Balrog, he fell into a chasm during the battle, leaving the Fellowship to mourn their leader’s loss. Urged on by Aragorn before more orcs could arrive, they pressed forward and eventually reached Lothlorien. There, the elf Haldir (Craig Parker) led them to Caras Galadhon, where they met its guardians, Celeborn (Marton Csokas) and Galadriel (Cate Blanchett).
Galadriel revealed to Frodo a vision of the Shire’s destruction should he fail his mission, while Saruman mobilized his orc army to hunt for the ring. As the Fellowship continued by boat past the Argonath—statues of Aragorn’s ancestors—they were stalked by Gollum and soon ambushed by an overwhelming force of orcs.
The ensuing battle proved fatal for Boromir, who fell protecting Merry and Pippin after being struck by three arrows. With his dying breath, he beseeched Aragorn to defend his city and people. The hobbits’ gambit to distract the orcs allowed Frodo to escape, though Merry and Pippin were captured in the process.
At the riverbank, a despairing Frodo found renewed resolve in Gandalf’s remembered words, though he attempted to continue alone. Sam, however, refused to abandon him, honoring his promise to Gandalf. As Frodo and Sam began their journey toward the darkness-shrouded land of Mordor, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli chose a different path—to rescue their captured companions. The Fellowship had broken, but their separate quests had only just begun.
