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
The Golden Ticket
Emma and Josh are going through an awkward phase in their friendship. The short version: Josh likes Emma, Emma rejected him. Things only get more complicated, though, when they find a CD-ROM that takes them to their future Facebook profiles. Right off the bat, these two feel very different about their futures—but they also both totally care about them, as well. Josh wants his to stay just as it is, while Emma is not thrilled with hers. And with this, the stage is officially set for some tension and strangeness.
Rising Action
Not All Futures Are Created Equal
Emma is unhappy and keeps trying to change her boring future. Like, constantly. Josh, however, ends up marrying a major babe, and would really like to keep it that way. So while Emma tries to boycott her future, and Josh introduces himself to his hot future wife, tension only rises between these two already-awkward friends. Will Emma's meddlesome ways wind up screwing up Josh's chances for his dreams to come true? Is there anything Emma can possibly due to avoid a miserable life down the road? Things are heating up, Shmoopers.
Climax
Back to December
Emma reaches her breaking point when Josh is dating his hot future wife and she's miserable and alone, with a slew of nice ex-boyfriends. She finally realizes her problem: She won't let anyone close enough to love her. This has made her past, present, and future all miserable places. It's a major eureka moment for Emma, and once she realizes this, we get the sense that some sort of resolution to her drama with both her own life and Josh can't be too far off.
Falling Action
You Can't Always Get What You Want
Emma resigns herself to Josh being happy without her, and she goes to a bonfire with Kellan, where she sees Josh and Sydney together. But Josh is also doing his own re-thinking: He finds that things with Sydney aren't as awesome as he hoped—and as he does, he lets go of the future Facebook promised him.
Resolution
Kiss and Make Up
Sad Emma and Sad Josh both go home alone after the bonfire. But all is not lost—Tyson and Kellan pick them up and take them to GoodTimez Pizza for some late night fun. Emma and Josh move quickly from talking to holding hands to admitting that things have been weird. They close their story with a nice romantic kiss. Looks like the present has plenty to offer these two, and at this point, this is all either of them wants.