Set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It begins during a time of relative peace and covers all the major events of the Second Age of Middle-earth: the forging of the Rings of Power, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the fall of the island kingdom of NĂºmenor, and the last alliance between Elves and Men.
After retrieving Erebor and a vast treasure from the dragon Smaug, Thorin Oakenshield sacrifices friendship and honor in pursuit of the Arkenstone, despite Smaug's burning anger and Bilbo's desperate attempts to reason with him. Meanwhile, Sauron sends legions of orcs on a sneak attack on the Lonely Mountain. As the fate of Middle-earth hangs in the balance, the races of Men, Elves and Dwarves must decide whether to unite and prevail, or all perish.
Bilbo Baggins lives a simple life with his fellow hobbits in the shire, until the wizard Gandalf arrives and convinces him to join a group of dwarves on a quest to reclaim the kingdom of Erebor. The journey takes Bilbo down a path through treacherous lands teeming with orcs, goblins, and other dangers, one of which is an encounter with Gollum and a simple gold ring that is bound to the fate of Middle-earth but Bilbo doesn't even can understand.
The Return of the King presents the final showdown between the forces of good and evil fighting for control of the future of Middle-earth. The hobbits Frodo and Sam arrive in Mordor on their quest to destroy the One Ring, while Aragorn leads the forces of good against Sauron's evil army in the stone city of Minas Tirith.
This sequel follows Frodo and the Fellowship's ongoing quest to destroy the One Ring. Frodo and Sam discover that the mysterious Gollum is following them. Aragorn, Legolas the elven archer, and Gimli the dwarf meet the beleaguered kingdom of Rohan, whose king Theoden has fallen under Saruman's deadly spell.
The future of civilization rests on the fate of the One Ring, which has been lost for centuries. Powerful forces are relentless in their pursuit. But fate has placed it in the hands of a young Hobbit named Frodo Baggins, who inherits the Ring. A daunting task awaits Frodo as he becomes Ringbearer and must destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom where it was forged.