Shovel Knight and his partner Shield Knight are renowned adventurers, but during an expedition into the Tower of Fate a cursed amulet strikes Shield Knight down and seals the tower, leaving Shovel Knight stranded outside. Grieving the loss of his companion, he gives up adventuring and withdraws into exile. In his absence a powerful figure called the Enchantress rises and spreads evil across the land, eventually unsealing the Tower of Fate. Learning this, Shovel Knight sets out to return to the tower in the hope of finding and rescuing Shield Knight, facing the Enchantress and her Order of No Quarter along the way.