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)
Put On Your Dancing Shoes
Everything seems cool as Sam and Willie prepare for the dance competition and Hally eggs them on after school. Here, we're finding out who the characters are and their relationships to one another.
Rising Action (Conflict, Complication)
Ring-a-ling
Just one phone call spoils the fun. When Hally's mom phones with the news that she'll be bringing his dad home from the hospital, his mood turns dark. The audience gets a taste of what Hally's so grouchy about when he complains about his childhood. We see how when Hally's stressed, he begins to act in a domineering way towards Sam and Willie.
Climax (Crisis, Turning Point)
Spit Hits the Fan
Hally takes out his anger about his family situation on Sam, making racist jokes, having him call him Master Harold, and, finally, spitting in his face. This is the most painful moment of the play, when there's no going back to the friendship they seemed to have before.
Falling Action
Some Explainin' to Do
Hally's filled with disgust about what he's done but says nada. Sam, as the mature adult, tries to patch things up with Hally, asking him to learn from their fight and suggesting they can go back to the way things were. He lets Hally know that he has sympathy for him, for the little boy who had to have Sam fetch his drunk father from a bar while the white patrons watched. Hally doesn't seem ready to explain himself or listen to explanations, though, and he leaves. He's feeling pretty helpless at this point.
Resolution (Denouement)
One Last Dance
Sam and Willie are the only ones left onstage. Willie suggests they dream, and they dance as the song "Little Man" plays on the jukebox.