Telemachus's birth (Odysseus carries Penelope to a place to give birth, says how much he loves her.)
Same day, Menaleus arrives and tells Odysseus he needs to come to fight the Trojan war.
Odysseus makes a quick sacrifice & asks Athena how he can avoid the war.  Tells Penelope that if he doesn't return when Telemaches has a beard, she must allow him to die in her heart and remarry.
On the ship, Athene tells Od. That it is his destiny to go to war and be famous.

Trojan War scenes.  Od. Says  "year after year we fought . . no one knew whose side the gods were on."  Death of Hector.

back to Ithaca.  Penelope suffers.

back to the war.  In the seventh year Achilles died.  Almost gave up.  Odysseus had the Trojan Horse idea.  Successful (thanks to Poseidon who had a serpent kill the soothsayer who said it was a trick).
When the folks in the palace are drunk, Odysseus and the others come out, kill them, and burn Troy.
Odysseus stands by the beach and boats that he conquered Troy and doesn't need the gods any more. Poseidon is annoyed.  Reminds him that his serpent helped and says he’s going to make Odysseus sorry for his arrogance by stopping him from getting home.

back to Ithaca. Telemachus is ten.  Playing with Eumaos. Anticleia (Od.’s mother) is nasty to Penelope.  Tells her to get on with life and raise Telemachus better.  Penelope lays on beach and cries.

Meanwhile, there's a fog “from Poseidon” and Odysseus’ ship is separated from the others.  Wash up on an sailed.  Go to a cave. Eat the food.  The Cyclops is annoyed.  Says Cyclops eat men, does so. Odysseus says his name is “nobody.” Give Cyclops wise & blind him.  Antiphus distracts Cyclops. The rest Escape. Cyclops calls on Poseidon for revenge.

Next they wash up on Aeolus’ island.  He gives Od. Bag of winds to get back at Poseidon and because Od. Is “the first mortal ever to use his mind."

back to Ithaca. Penelope gets the message from a bird that Od. Is on his way home.
back on ship.  Od asleep. see Ithaca.  Men plot to open the bag.
back to Ithaca. See Penelope and Anticleia looking out for the ship.
back on the ship.  The men open bag within sight of Ithaca.  The ship blows away

The next island  island.  Od. Send the men to hunt Circe turns them to animals.  Od. goes to rescue them and Hermes gives him a drug and tells him how to handle Circe. Goes to bed with her and she frees the men.  Circe “fed then lotus blossoms” and they stuck around.

back to Ithaca. Anticleia heart breaks and she walks into the ocean.

Od. dreams of Pen. Circe says "you lie w/ me but you think of you wife" and tells him he's been there five years, not five days.  Tells tells him to go to Hades to find Tiresius so he can help them get home.

back to Ithaca..  Telemachus is 15yrs old.  The suitors arrive, telling T. his father is either dead or chosen not to return.  Now Penelope must remarry. Penelope says:  "they have bought gifts, I must receive them, it is the custom"  maid says she's still beautiful...

Od to Hades. Meets Tiresius who says  "your eyes are blinded by thoughts of home. You do not see that it is the journey that is your life."  Tells him the way home. Sees his mother; tells him to hurry.

back to Ithaca. Penelope. tells T. that Od. promised to return alive.  Says she'll weave a shroud for Odysseus, then will select a husband. Asks suitors to go home. They say they'll stay.  She weaves.

meanwhile, Od.  sails through Scylla and Charybdis. All the men die.  Ship lost.

back to Ithaca. See the suitors and Penelope weaving.

Od. floating on ocean.  Washes up on Calypso's island she "hasn't seen a man for over 100 years"

back to Ithaca.  Penelope tells Telemachos to call an assembly.  He asks "who am I?” she says "you know who you aRe"  Mentor is there, but not Athena.  Altinoos speech. Folks agree that Penelope must choose a husband.  Telemachus. asks for a ship to go find his father. Athena tells Tel.:  "the gods will not do for men what they must do for themselves."  Tells him to go to Sparta.

meanwhile: Odysseus spends two more years w/ Calypso.  Then Hermes arrives and says Zeus says she must let him go. She’s mad. Lets him build a raft.

Melantho gives away Penelope's secret.  Pen. says she'll wait for her son. The suitors burn the shroud.

back to Calypso and Od. departing. Calypso offers him immortality. He leaves. (He’d rather one night with Penelope as a man than immortality...)

Telemachus goes to Sparta. Asks Menaleus to help him find Odysseus.  Menaleus tells T. that Od. is dead. "only death could stop him from going back to Ithaca.  Don't see Helen. Or Nestor

meanwhile: Odysseus is back at sea. Asks what Poseidon wants.  P. says he wants Od. to suffer more and to understand that without the gods man is nothing.
Od. is washed ashore on the Phaeacian’s island.  They give him a ship and sail him back to Ithaca.  He "realizes that he is just one man. Nothing more."
Wakes up at Ithaca.
Eumaos recognizes him.  Tearful reunion with Telemachus.
Athena makes him look old so he can check out his house.  T. says he's his guest.
Antinoos challenges T. to a fight (hopes to kill him). Od. saves him.
Eurycleia recognizes Od. by his scar.  Tells her to keep secret. Pen. doesn't recognize him.

The bow contest.  Od. strings it and wins the contest.  Then disguise is gone, he sits on his throne and starts killing people.  Tells suitors  "your crime is that you tried to steel my world"

Arrow through Altinoos and Melantho as she opens to door to help him.
Athena appears to Pen.  who faints when sees Od.
Romantic ending with Odysseus and Penelope in bed.