Wizard's First Rule
Richard's father, George Cypher, was mysteriously killed in the beginning of the book.  Because of this, Richard entered a state of sadness.  When Richard finds out about an interesting vine left in a jar for him by his dead father, Richard decides to go into the forest to try to find the vine.  This leads him to help a traveller escape from 4 men that are chasing her through the forest.  The traveller is called Kahlan Amnell, and the people she is running from are called a quad.