Odysseus and his fleet sail north and come to the Cyclops' island. Here Odysseus takes twelve men with him ashore to explore. They encounter a cyclops named Polyphemus and narrowly escape with their lives from his cave.

Then they set sail again and come to the island of Aeolia. Aeolus, king of the winds, gives Odysseus a bag of all the bad winds that they will encounter on their journey home. Odysseus thanks him, and soon the fleet is off to Ithaca. But when the ships are in sight of Ithaca, Odysseus' men get curious and open the bag of winds, thus propelling them away from Ithaca and back to Aeolus. This time the king is not hospitable and forces them to leave his island.

Away from Aeolus, Odysseus and his fleet come to a strange place called the Land of the Laestrygonians. The people here are cannibles and they eat some of Odysseus' men. Then they launch rocks from the high cliffs, destroying 11 of Odysseus' 12 ships. Odysseus is compelled to leave with his only ship.