Homer's Iliad occurs in the tenth year of the Trojan War, sparked when Agamemnon dishonors Achilles and drives him from battle. As the Achaeans falter without their greatest warrior, the tide of war shifts between both sides through the will of the gods, until the death of Achilles's companion Patroclus draws him back into the fight. His grief turns to fury, culminating in his duel with Hector and the desecration of his body, before Priam's desperate plea for his son's return closes the epic in a fragile moment of shared humanity.