After the Land of the Laestrygonians, Odysseus and his one ship with one crew come to an island called Aeaea. Here an enchantress named Circe lives. After an initial setback, Odysseus and Circe become friends and lovers. A year follows before Odysseus' men remind him of home. Circe then tells him that he first must travel down to Hades for Tiresias, the prophet, to give him instructions on how to get home.

Odysseus and his men go down to Hades, and Odysseus meets Tiresias. Tiresias tells Odysseus of how he must get home, and of the upcoming dangers that lay ahead. With the newly acquired knowledge, Odysseus and his men leave the underworld and travel back to Aeaea to bury one of the crew who had died there. Once they are finished, they set sail once again for home.