The Glade is the starting area in Dust: an Elysian Tail, here Dust awakens and is found by the Blade of Ahrah, followed by Fidget who sets Dust out on his quest. It is the origin point for the Dust to Dust quest and the first time you meet both the Blade of Ahrah and Fidget.
The map is laid out fairly linearly, though the region does have some hills and minor platforming to get from where you start to the next area.
You can encounter Imps, Slime Creatures, Beasts, and 1 Giant who acts as the "boss" of the area.
Full map of The Glade.
There are a few abilities you'll find on your way through The Glade, one ability that you cannot miss is the Dust Storm as Ahrah explains it's use and how it can turn the tide of battle.
From here on until you reach the outskirts of Aurora Village the dialogue of the game takes a bit of a backseat as you learn a couple of useful combos and, if you pay attention to the surround areas, find a few hidden chests.
While you can not fully explore the map on your first run of the region, there are a few collectible goodies. There are at least 5 treasure chest keys (possibly more) and a Friend (which requires 4 treasure chest keys to free) that you can find hidden behind a breakable wall. Fidget will often let you know if there is treasure nearby when you enter a new area, but you'll still have to locate it.