With the legions of darkness gathering, the once great kingdom of Gondor has never been in more desperate need of its king. But can Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) answer the call of his heritage and become what he was born to be? Meanwhile, Gandalf (Ian McKellen) urgently tries to rally Gondor’s broken army to action. He is aided by Rohan’s King Theoden (Bernard Hill), who unites his warriors for history’s biggest test. Yet even with their courage and passionate loyalty, the forces of men – with Eowyn (Miranda Otto) and Merry (Dominic Monaghan) hidden among them – are no match for the enemies swarming against Gondor. Still, in the face of great losses, they charge forward into the battle of their lifetimes, tied together by their singular goal to keep Sauron distracted and give the Ring Bearer a chance to complete his quest.

Their hopes rest with Frodo (Elijah Wood), a determined hobbit making a perilous trip across treacherous enemy lands to cast the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom. The closer Frodo gets to his final destination, the heavier his burden becomes and the more he must rely on his old friend Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin). But both the Ring itself and Frodo’s guide, the piteous former Ring Bearer, Gollum (Andy Serkis), will test the hobbit’s allegiances and ultimately, his humanity.