Bilbo Baggins, a respectable and unadventurous hobbit, is visited by Gandalf, a wizard, who offers him the chance to go on an adventure. Bilbo, while trying to get rid of the wizard, inadvertently invites him to tea the next evening. The next day, Bilbo is troubled to find that in addition to Gandalf, he seems to have also invited thirteen dwarves to tea. While serving tea to the dwarves and Gandalf, then dinner, Bilbo learns that Gandalf introduced him to the dwarves as a burglar. The dwarves want him to help them in their quest for the Lonely Mountain, where they hope to recover the treasure of Smaug the dragon, who destroyed their ancestral home beneath the mountain. Although at first Bilbo trembles at the thought of meeting a dragon, he is challenged when he hears the dwarves denigrate his courage and abilities. Stung by their remarks, Bilbo launches into the adventure with unusual audacity and determination. The adventures begin quickly; the dwarves and Bilbo are caught by three trolls who put them in bags. They are saved by Gandalf, who sets the trolls at quarrel among themselves until dawn, when they are all turned to stone. Once freed, the dwarves find the trolls' cave, where they discover food, gold and weapons. Soon after, they rest briefly in Rivendell, home of Elrond, an elven lord, and his people. Refreshed and restored, the company sets off again. While venturing into the Misty Mountains, they are caught in a terrible storm and take refuge in a cave, along with...... middle of paper..... .Eventually, Bilbo returns home with Gandalf, having accepted only a small fraction of the treasure offered to him. They take the longer route home around Mirkwood and spend the winter with Beorn and the elves of Rivendell. Bilbo arrives home just in time to save his house and possessions from being sold at auction. He settles down again to live a quiet, unadventurous life, although he is forever marked as strange and not entirely respectable by his neighbors. Some years later, Gandalf and Balin, one of the dwarves, visit Bilbo and tell him of the great prosperity that reigns in the lands around the Lonely Mountain..