The Fellowship of the Ring is the first part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In this book Tolkien begins his epic tale in the Shire home of the Hobbits. While Bilbo Baggins was the central figure in the early book the Hobbit, it is his cousin Frodo, who as his nephew and heir, which this story pivots on. The story begins as it is discovered by the Wizard Gandalf the Grey that the magic ring found by Bilbo on his journey with the Dwarves is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron. If Sauron regains this Ring he will have the power to destroy his enemies and rule Middle-Earth in eternal darkness. It is now known to the enemy that his ring was found because he caught the wretched creature Gollum. With this known the fate of Middle-Earth now rests around the neck of the humble hobbit Frodo.
 

The book is divided into two smaller books. The first part tells of Frodo's departure from the shire. He is accompanied by his hobbit friends Samwise Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took. They are hounded by the Black Riders who are called the Nazgul or Ring Wraiths who serve as unwavering evil spirits  to Sauron himself. The journey has them in constant fear as the brave the Old Forest, and the Barrow Downs and make it to Bree. There they meet Strider the ranger who leads them on a daring and difficult trek to Rivendell. The trip has a heart-stopping confrontation with the Nazgul on Weathertop, and a furious chase to the Ford of Rivendell. The second book contains the Council of Elrond and the forming of the Fellowship of the Ring. It consists of Nine members to counter the Nine Riders of Mordor; Gandalf the wizard, Boromir of Gondor, Aragorn or Strider the heir of the throne of Gondor, Legolas the Elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Frodo. The council decides the only thing to do is to destroy the Ring in Mount Doom in the land of Mordor. The journey is perilous including a daring attempt over the mountains, braving the Mines of Moria where Gandalf confronts the Demon Balrog, hiding in the Golden Wood Lothlorien, and the river Anduin. As the adventure goes the power of the Ring takes more of a hold of things and slowly breaks the Fellowship apart. The book ends when the Fellowship breaks and goes their separate ways.

" `Come back ! Come back!' they called. `To Mordor we will take you!' 
`Go back!' he whispered.
`The Ring! The Ring!' they cried with deadly voices; and immediately their leader urged his horse forward into the water, followed closely by the others.
`By Elbereth and Luthien the Fair,' said Frodo with a last effort, lifting up his sword, `you shall have neither the Ring nor me!'  "