During his first voyage, Gulliver is washed ashore after a shipwreck and finds himself a prisoner of a race of tiny people, less than 6 inches tall, who are inhabitants of the island country of Lilliput.

After giving assurances of his good behavior, he is given a residence in Lilliput and becomes a favorite of the court.

From there, the book follows Gulliver's observations on the Court of Lilliput.

He is also given the permission to roam around the city on a condition that he must not harm their subjects.

Gulliver assists the Lilliputians to subdue their neighbors, the Blefuscudians, by stealing their fleet.

However, he refuses to reduce the island nation of Blefuscu to a province of Lilliput, displeasing the King and the court.

Gulliver is charged with treason for, among other "crimes," "making water" in the capital (even though he was putting out a fire and saving countless lives.) He is convicted and sentenced to be blinded, but with the assistance of a kind friend, he escapes to Blefuscu...