The final conflict of the War of the Ring, in which the returning Hobbits - Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin - discover that the Shire has been taken over by ruffians working for 'Sharkey' (the fallen wizard Saruman). The Hobbits rally their neighbours and drive out the invaders, demonstrating how their experiences in the wider world have changed them. Saruman meets his end in the Shire, killed by his own servant Wormtongue.