Aeneas and his companions land on the coast of North Africa after being driven ashore by a storm. The Queen of Carthage, Dido, welcomes them and Aeneas begins telling Dido the story of what happened to Troy. The passage also discusses Jupiter's prophecy about Aeneas founding Rome and the Julian dynasty, as well as background on why Dido is the Queen of Carthage after fleeing following the murder of her husband.