In Guards! Guards!, the Night Watch protects the city of Ankh-Morpork.
Ankh-Morpork is the largest and most commercially important city on Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. It is divided by the River Ankh and is ruled by the Patrician, Havelock Vetinari. The city’s crowded streets, guilds, criminals, merchants, and political schemes provide the main setting for the novel.
At the beginning of Guards! Guards!, the City Watch is regarded as ineffective and underfunded. Captain Sam Vimes is a tired officer who leads a small group of guards, including Fred Colon and Nobby Nobbs. The arrival of Carrot Ironfoundersson and a plot involving a dragon force the Watch into a much larger crisis.
Ankh-Morpork is sometimes confused with other Discworld locations such as Lancre, the rural kingdom associated with the witches, or Sto Lat, another major city. Guards! Guards! is the first novel centered on the City Watch, although the Watch and its members appear elsewhere in the series.