Twenty years after fighting in the
Trojan War and journeying back home,
Odysseus washes up naked on the shores of his home island
Ithaca. He is tended to by
Eumaeus and Yias. Odysseus is dispirited and traumatized by the war and learns about the decline of his kingdom. Odysseus' wife
Penelope is facing pressure to find a suitor, given the continued absence of her husband and the decline of the kingdom since Odysseus left for the war. Her son
Telemachus is approached by
Antinous, who attempts to convince him to press Penelope into marriage. The young man refuses, distrusting
Antinous and the other suitors. Meanwhile, Penelope weaves her elderly father-in-law's burial shroud before his impending death. Telemachus asks her to take a suitor to end the chaos, but she refuses until she completes the shroud. Odysseus' father dies; the suitors press Penelope to marry, while insisting that Odysseus is also dead. She says she will make the shroud her wedding gown, and that she will choose a suitor soon. Meanwhile, Eumaeus takes Odysseus to the palace, where his dog
Argos recognizes his master after a long wait and then dies. Odysseus disguises himself as an old soldier and begs for food; the suitors abuse him. They force him to fight a huge man, but Odysseus kills him. Suspicious, Penelope speaks to Odysseus, but ends up ordering him to be tended to and sent off after he refuses to answer her questions. Odysseus' old nursemaid
Eurycleia however discovers his identity while bathing him, after recognizing a scar on the back of his leg. He bids her be silent. Soon afterwards, Telemachus is hunted by the suitors to silence any interference with the marriage, but Odysseus saves him. Odysseus, Telemachus, Eumaeus and their friends flee behind a pool of water, which throws the hounds off their scent. When Odysseus' identity is revealed, Telemachus is infuriated with his father, accusing him of abandoning him and his mother in Ithaca. He laments Odysseus' failure to bring the Ithacan warriors home, but ultimately resigns himself to it. Antinous discovers Penelope unraveling her weaving at night and forces her to make a decision. Odysseus' crew hears that Penelope will make a decision the next day. They go to the palace where Penelope tells the suitors that her choice is to make them compete with Odysseus' old bow, seeing if they can shoot an arrow through the holes of multiple axe heads, as he did. The successful suitor will win her hand in marriage. None of the suitors can even string the bow. Odysseus offers to try, strings it, and shoots the arrow through the axe heads. He then shoots the suitors as the royal servants close the doors to prevent escape. When his arrows run out, Odysseus relentlessly kills the suitors by hand. Telemachus is tempted to flee, but he helps his father fight. Antinous surrenders, and Penelope, desirous of peace and tired of the violence, bids Telemachus let him live. Telemachus kills the man and horrifies his mother. Telemachus insists on sailing off to find himself and his destiny. Odysseus notices that Penelope is using an unfamiliar bed. He goes to a hidden upper-level room and finds their old bed, which she had sealed away after he left. Odysseus and Penelope reconcile with each other and offer to share their past years to move on with their future together. ==Cast==