The poem recounts a segment of the long siege of Troy centered on a quarrel between a foremost Greek warrior and his commander over a taken woman, which prompts the warrior to withdraw from battle. The absence shifts the tide, producing heavy losses until the warrior's close companion is killed while wearing his armor; enraged, the hero returns, reconciles with the command, and pursues vengeance that culminates in the killing of the city's chief defender. The narrative interweaves mortal combat, elaborate similes, scenes of divine intervention and counsel, and detailed ritual and funeral episodes, exploring themes of honor, wrath, mortality, and the human cost of war.