This novel is not a direct continuation of the famous epic J.R.R. Tolkien "The Lord of the Rings," although the heroes live in the same world of Middle-earth. The action takes place three centuries after the fall of Sauron, the Black Lord. The story centers on the adventures of a young hobbit, Folko Brandyback. Together with dwarf friends, he wanders around Middle-earth, trying to understand the origins of the anxieties of his time, find the center of Evil and defeat the risen Dark Forces.