From his fortress tower in Mordor, the evil sorcerer Sauron sends forth a darkness that creeps across the enchanted land of Middle-earth. Men and elves and dwarves have raised armies in futile efforts to combat this evil. Great wizards have failed to keep it in check. Sauron's shadow threatens to engulf all. But in the peaceful, far-off Shire, a hobbit named Frodo Baggins holds a ring that may be the key to defeating Sauron.