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)
A Good Old Country Boy
Wang Lung and his family are simple farmers living in the countryside of China. The land gives them food, and the land gives them money. That's the basic idea. Farmers. Farming.
Rising Action (Conflict, Complication)
Movin' on… Down?
Time to add some trouble to the mix. During a drought and a famine, the family is forced to go South. They lose everything and have to beg in the streets. They have no idea how they will get home, and it sounds like a revolution is coming.
Climax (Crisis, Turning Point)
Vive la Révolution!
The revolution comes, and it ends with Wang Lung making beaucoup moolah. The family can go back home. They're rich, and they can live like kings, so there should be no more problems. They can live like kings. This is totally a turning point for the family's fortunes. They never have to be poor again, right?
Falling Action
Wang Lung's Got 99 Problems, but Being Rich Ain't One
Now the real problems start. The family starts turning into the House of Hwang, who imploded out of their own greed. Money flows like water, and they start to forget their roots as farmers. It's the beginning of the end, literally.
Conclusion
This Seems Awfully Familiar, Doesn't It?
We've seen this ending before: this is how the House of Hwang fell apart. As his sons get greedier and greedier, Wang Lung gets older and older. Eventually, he doesn't care anymore. That's when his sons start talking about selling the land… and we all know what happened when the House of Hwang sold their land.