The plot, or storyline, can be generally described as the total of facts that form a story, being because of that an inherent part of any narrative, whether in literature, theatre or cinema. The plot is therefore the development of the action, the story being told, the connection between all of the parts that constitute a narrative. On a deeper and more detailed perspective, it is possible to say that the plot refers to the cause and effect relationship that is necessarily established in any story, and that is essential for its development. The plot can be linear, if the action is developed continuously in time, or nonlinear, when the author uses analepses and prolepses (flash forward and flashbacks in the narrative), telling the story in a way that doesn’t correspond to its real development in time. This way, it is easy to understand that the space and time in which the narrated events occur, and all the characters and facts, simultaneously influence and are part of the plot of the story.
