Invocation and part summary—council of the gods—Athene visits Telemachos in Ithaka and urges him to go in search of his father—the suitors feast in the house of Telemachos.
Assembly on Ithaka—Telemachos publicly requests the suitors to go home—secret departure of Telemachos and Athene.
Athene and Telemachos arrive in Pylos—entertainment by Nestor and his family—Telemachos and Peisistratos leave for Sparta.
Arrival at Sparta—entertainment by Menelaos and Helen—the wanderings of Menelaos—report that Odysseus is on Kalypso's island—at Ithaka the suitors learn of Telemachos' departure and lay an ambush for him.
Council of the gods—Hermes tells Kalypso to let Odysseus go—he sails on a raft but is wrecked by Poseidon—he swims ashore on Scheria.
Odysseus encounters Nausikaa, the princess of the Phaiakians, and is accepted as a guest.
The wanderings of Odysseus—the raid on the Kikonians—the Lotus-Eaters—the adventure with Polyphemos the Cyclops.
The wanderings of Odysseus—Aiolos and the bag of winds—Odysseus blown back to sea after sighting Ithaka—the adventure with the Laistrygones—Circe's island—the men transformed and restored.
The wanderings of Odysseus—voyage to the land of the dead—interviews—Elpenor—Teiresias—Antikleia—the heroines—interlude in Scheria—interviews—the heroes—return to Circe.
The wanderings of Odysseus—the Sirens—Skylla and Charybdis—the cattle of Helios—loss of the last ship and all the companions—Odysseus rescued by Kalypso—end of his story to the Phaiakians.
Return of Odysseus to Ithaka—he is landed, alone—strange return of the Phaiakian ship—Athene comes to Odysseus and advises him.
Telemachos, urged by Athene, leaves Sparta—from Pylos, he sails for home—Odysseus still with Eumaios—life story of Eumaios—Telemachos eludes the ambush and reaches Ithaka.
Telemachos visits Eumaios—Odysseus reveals himself to Telemachos—Penelope and the suitors learn that Telemachos has returned—night at the house of Eumaios.
Return of Telemachos to his house—Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, goes to the house with Eumaios—Odysseus begs from the suitors.
Fight between Odysseus and Iros—Penelope appears briefly before the suitors—after disorderly incidents the suitors go home.
Interview by night between Odysseus and Penelope—Odysseus almost betrayed by his scar—the story of the scar—plan for the test of the bow.
Next morning all the principals gather in the house.
The test of the bow—the suitors fail—Odysseus succeeds.
Recognition of Odysseus by Penelope—reunion—Odysseus goes to Laertes' farm.
The heroes of Troy learn the story from the ghosts of the suitors—Odysseus reveals himself to Laertes—burial of the suitors by their relatives, who plan revenge—final combat between Odysseus and his party and the relatives of the suitors—peace imposed by Athene.