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)
There's no place like… Nebraska
The exposition spans from the very beginning, when the Divide is almost unlivable, to more prosperous times, when Alexandra has made herself a successful landowner. It ends when Carl Linstrum is forced to leave Alexandra's homestead under pressure from Lou and Oscar, and Emil takes off for Mexico. That's when the plot really gets rolling.
It's in this section of the novel that we get to know all the important characters—see "Characters" for a full list—and get a sense of all the pleasures and problems that await them. When it comes to Alexandra, for instance, we learn that she has an awesome ability to understand the land, but her practical know-how isn't enough to get her love and companionship. Meanwhile, Emil struggles with his desires for Marie, but like many other people on the Divide, he decides to fix things by moving away.
Rising Action (Conflict, Complication)
Gotta Love a Man in a Sombrero
So, did Emil make the right choice in going off to Mexico? Well, at least one thing's certain: the man clocked some serious time shopping for his return to the Divide. This part of the novel includes the Catholic fair at the French church, when Emil causes quite a stir among the young ladies with his Mexican regalia, and let's not forget the furtive kiss he shares there with Marie. Talk about a complication.
The relationship between Emil and Marie goes from chaste longing to borderline intimacy. Emil decides he'd better really get his act together, and prepares to leave for law school. Then, this complication gets ever more complicated when Emil's friend Amédée dies unexpectedly, leaving Emil with almost no social ties, other than Marie.
Climax (Crisis, Turning Point)
O… No!
The header says it all. Just when it finally seems that all the tension with Marie will finally be resolved in a steamy orchard scene, Frank has to go and ruin everything. That's just like him. There's no question that the murder of Emil and Marie by Frank is the crisis in this novel. After this, there's no return to normal for any of these characters.
Falling Action
Nice Stripes, Frank
Let's take stock.
Alexandra has worked her whole life, sacrificing her own personal interests, in order to provide at least one member of her family with the opportunities the rest never had. She's had her heart set on Emil for quite some time. But for all her hard work and know-how, the woman doesn't know much about love. She doesn't see disaster coming. Now, it's too late and all she's worked for has been lost.
In this part of the novel, Alexandra tries to pull herself together after Emil's murder by visiting Frank in prison. She's horrified to find him a shadow of his former self. When she leaves the prison, she doesn't feel all that different from Frank; her life has become a prison from which there's no escape.
Resolution (Denouement)
Nebraska is for Lovers
Alexandra hits rock bottom. But then, something wonderful happens. She gets a telegram from Carl, who writes that he's in Hanover and is waiting to see her. She rushes back from Omaha.
After deciding to marry Carl and travel with him to Alaska, Alexandra concludes that she really belongs on the Divide. She makes plans to return when the season is over. Alexandra finally finds love, the thing that's been missing from her life all these years, and also learns an important lesson: home really is where the heart is.