Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.

电影发生在爱德华时代的英国。老费斯克(Peter O'Toole)是个脾气古怪的老头，他的小儿子在战争中去世了，妻子由于哀痛也在不久去世，风烛残年的Fisk老人对他的大儿子(Jeremy Northam)似乎没感情没心肝，然而当他们在一个看似平常的星期四去听了一个印度人关于灵魂转世的讲演，并且遇到了Dean Spanley之后，他们经历了一趟奇异的旅程，并最终打开了这位老人的心结。