what is a plot

In literature, film, or other narratives, a plot is the sequence of events in which each event affects the next one through the principle of cause-and-effect. The causal events of a plot can be thought of as a series of events linked by the cause-and-effect relationship between them. The plot is the story and more specifically, how the story develops, unfolds, and moves in time. It is the sequence of connected events that make up a narrative in a novel, building up to a climax and ending in a resolution at the finish of the story. Plots are typically made up of five main elements: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. The plot is what makes a story a story, giving it character development, suspense, energy, and emotional release.