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 (Initial Situation): One Crazy Teenager
Sixteen-year-old Deborah gets dropped off at a mental hospital after a suicide attempt gets her parents to realize their girl needs serious help. Deborah's been socially awkward and deeply troubled since she was five and had a tumor removed from her urethra. The whole experience left her traumatized and unable to trust anyone except the imaginary folks who live in Yr, the world of make-believe she has created for herself.
Rising Action (Conflict, Complication): Is There a Doctor in the House?
Dr. Fried, a renowned psychotherapist, takes on Deborah's case because she sees the seeds of inner strength in the girl. Deborah's sick, but she's smart—and stubborn. The doctor's challenge is to get Deborah to trust her and see that living in the real world is a better alternative than being stuck in your head playing make-believe for the rest of your life.
Climax (Crisis, Turning Point): The Volcano Erupts
The real world and Yr finally collide in an epic meltdown that leaves Deborah exhausted and feeling lost and in between worlds. It's as if a volcano has erupted inside of her. At this point, Deborah can't understand English and can only understand part of the Yri language she's been working on since she was five. Thankfully, Deborah was smart enough to embark on this battle between worlds while her favorite nurse was on shift and could calm her down and keep her safe.
Falling Action: Life on Earth
After the epic showdown between Yr and Earth, Deborah decides to listen to Dr. Fried and choose to live in the real world after all. But how? She misses the cool gods and goddesses who talked to her all those years, though she doesn't miss the way they punished her and kept her a prisoner in her own head. On the other hand, Earthlings aren't all friendly, either. Deborah is nineteen and trying to figure out how to exist among people on a regular basis. It's a hard process.
Resolution (Denouement): Goodbye, Yr
Deborah gets her GED and has one last epic panic attack that lands her in the mental hospital again. There, she finally decides that she will say goodbye to the world of Yr and go out into the real world and give it her full loyalty and her "full weight" (29.125).