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 Daughter of Divorce
Farange v. Farange and Others is the nasty divorce that begins What Maisie Knew. And the whole novel really is about the case's fallout. James's preface and first chapters in particular trace the consequences of the divorce for Maisie, the six-year-old daughter of Beale and Ida Farange, who's fated to be shuttled from house to house and from uncaring parent to uncaring parent until someone—anyone—saves her.
Rising Action (Conflict, Complication)
Stepparents With Serious Issues
At first, Mrs. Beale and especially Sir Claude seem like good candidates for the role of rescuer. Both of Maisie's new stepparents are beautiful, charming, and benevolent. And both show particular fondness for Maisie. They're as good to the little girl, if not ever as reliable, as Maisie's beloved governess, the wacky Mrs. Wix. But the plot thickens when Mrs. Beale and Sir Claude start to secretly date each other.
Climax (Crisis, Turning Point)
France, Here We Come!
Mrs. Wix disapproves of the adulterous adults and tries to get Sir Claude to leave Mrs. Beale so that he can start an honest life as Maisie's guardian and protector. Her idea is that the three of them should live happily ever after: Mrs. Wix, Maisie, and Sir Claude. And she's the voice of morality in James's novel, although not its most glamorous figure. This means that we're rooting for Sir Claude to do the right thing all the while. But he can't seem to commit; he's too fond of Mrs. Beale or too weak to leave her behind, and besides, Mrs. Beale keeps pursuing him. She even goes to France, where the drawn-out crisis of What Maisie Knew is set. Three adults duke it out for Maisie's love, leaving her to decide all on her own: will she go with Mrs. Wix, letting her conscience be her guide? Or will she choose the beautiful and well-meaning but adulterous couple as parents instead?
Resolution (Denouement)
We Love You, Good Old Mrs. Wix!
Spoiler alert! Maisie's decision to live with Mrs. Wix rather than with her stepparents marks the conclusion of James's novel. And some conclusion it is: it's bittersweet since Maisie will lose two parental figures, but she has done the right thing by Mrs. Wix's standards. And remember, Mrs. Wix represents the voice of moral reason for James. So it's a relief to see Maisie discover her moral sense, freeing herself from the deceitful adults in her world and choosing to stay loyal to the one true guide she has known.