Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) lives a simple life with his fellow hobbits in the Shire, until the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) arrives and convinces him to join a group of dwarves on a quest to reclaim the kingdom of Erebor. The journey takes Bilbo on a path through treacherous lands swarming with orcs, goblins and other dangers, not the least of which is an encounter with Gollum (Manu Bennett) and a simple gold ring that is tied to the fate of Middle Earth in ways Bilbo cannot even fathom.