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)
This Guy Doesn't Seem So Lucky
Meet Jim Dixon, a young man working as a lecturer at British redbrick university, and looking to get his job contract renewed for the following year. Unfortunately, the guy pretty much hates the dude who holds Jim's future in his hands, the bumbling and annoying Professor Welch. Jim has to attend a boring weekend-long party at the Professor's house in order to stay in the Prof's good graces.
And did we mention that Jim is "sort of" dating another lecturer named Margaret Peel, who's staying with the Welch's until she feels a little better. Turns out that she tried to commit suicide after her last boyfriend dumped her. This, as you can imagine, puts Jim in an awkward situation, since he isn't all that fond of her. But he doesn't want to be the dude to push her over the edge (and doesn't want to alienate the Welches), so he feels trapped into being her boyfriend as well as trapped in a job he's not really crazy about.
Rising Action (Conflict, Complication)
Fires, Rivals, and Lovers
When he gets to the Welches' place for their weekend party, it doesn't take Jim long to realize that he can't stand their son Bertrand, a self-absorbed artsy type from London. Worse yet, Jim feels pretty attracted to Bertrand's girlfriend Christine, even though he's technically tied up with Margaret.
No matter how hard he tries to keep the people around him happy, Jim can't resist getting drunk and getting himself into more and more trouble. He decides he's going to straight up try to steal Christine from Bertrand, even though he and Christine are both already in relationships with other people. Ol' Jimmy doesn't care, though. But he is worried about losing his job.
Climax (Crisis, Turning Point)
Best Lecture Ever (Not So Much)
The time comes for Jim to deliver a public lecture in front of pretty much everyone he knows, including the university bigwigs who'll decide whether he gets to keep his job. Unfortunately, he resorts to his favorite stress-management strategy: deep breathing. No—sorry again, we meant getting totally drunk. So yeah, he gets totally sauced before his lecture and ends up bombing. The crowd loves the spectacle of it all; the university brass, not so much.
Falling Action
From Fired to Hired
Our Jim's disastrous lecture gets him canned from the university. He doesn't know where he's going to find work. But then out of nowhere, he gets a call from a dude named Mr. Gore-Urquhart, who likes Jim's unpretentious style and offers him a job. Turns out it was the same job that Bertrand was trying to get. Oh yeah, and Gore-Urquhart is Christine's uncle. Looks like Jim might be lucky after all.
After hearing the news of Gore-Urquhart's job offer, Jim meets up with Margaret Peel's ex-boyfriend and finds out that Margaret never tried to commit suicide at all. She's just a woman who uses emotional blackmail to try and force boys to stay in relationships with her. After hearing this (and having already lost and gained a job,) Jim decides he's going to try to steal Christine from Bertrand once and for all.
Resolution (Denouement)
Lucky Jim, Indeed
Jim has to be quick and lucky to make it to the train station before Christine leaves for her home in London. But this is Lucky Jim we're talking about, so he makes it. He and Christine decide they want to be together. As they leave the train station, they see the Welches, and Jim can't help but laugh at how ridiculous they are and how awesomely everything has turned out for him.