Beren is a mortal man, but Lúthien an immortal Elf, and essential to this tale is the fate that shadows their love. Her father, a great Elvish lord, is deeply opposed to Beren, and imposes on him an impossible task that he must perform before he might wed Lúthien. Undaunted by Lord Thingol's challenge, Beren and Lúthien embark on the supremely heroic attempt to rob Morgoth, the greatest of all evil beings, of a Silmaril, one of the hallowed jewels that adorn the Black Enemy's crown.