The story takes place in the magical country of Alagaesia, inhabited by elves, dwarves, and other fairy-tale characters. The main hero is Eragon, a fifteen-year-old village boy—the last of the once-powerful dragon riders.
One day he finds a dragon egg. Eragon is destined to raise and train the dragon Saphira; take part in a great war; search for the elven city of Ellesméra; pass through unheard-of lands filled with beauty and danger; fight sorcerers and monsters; and descend into the heart of a mountain to the kingdom of the dwarves, becoming the first Free Rider, independent of both the King and the leader of the Wardens.