Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients: the initial situation, conflict, complication, climax, suspense, denouement, and conclusion. Great writers sometimes shake up the recipe and add some spice.
Exposition
Setting the Scene
Just in case we needed an extra formal clue that we're beginning with a beginning, Tuck Everlasting starts with a Prologue. The narrator sets the stage for us, explaining where and when everything in the story goes down. We also get kind of a sneak peak at what's to come—namely, Winnie Foster wants to break free of her ten-year-old life at home.
Rising Action
Meet the Tucks
When Winnie stumbles upon Jesse by the spring, things start to get messy. The Tucks kidnap Winnie and tell her their big secret: they're immortal.Unfortunately for them, the secret's out. A man in a yellow suit has overheard the secret-spilling session and is planning to majorly exploit Winnie and the Tucks.
Climax
I'm With Them
When Yellow Suit Guy shows up and threatens Winnie and the Tucks, Mae lets him know who's boss—by hitting him over the head with the base of a shotgun. Yeah. Exciting, right? But what really makes this the climax is that it serves as a turning point for our leading lady Winnie. When the constable shows up and accuses the Tucks of kidnapping, she stands up for her newfound family—she's officially with them.
Falling Action
Jailbreak
The Tucks and Winnie manage to break Mae out of jail, but then they have to say their goodbyes. Winnie is left behind to decide if she should drink the immortality water and join the Tucks. And we're left wondering: what will she choose?
Resolution
Decisions, Decisions
The resolution helps us answer any questions we have left. And boy do we have questions. In the Epilogue, we find out that Winnie has died. She made the choice that they weren't able to make, passing up immortality for a chance to live a normal life.