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 Death Foretold
Santiago is going to be killed. We don't know why, or by whom, but we do know that his death is inevitable. As the title says, that's the main thing you need to know about this story.
Rising Action (Conflict, Complication)
Santiago Must Die
This is where things get interesting. Now we learn that Santiago is accused of deflowering Angela Vicario. So her brothers want to kill him in order to reclaim their honor. At this point it's pretty safe to say that Santiago isin a really sticky situation.
Climax (Crisis, Turning Point)
The Worst Rescue Team Ever
You could say that Santiago's murder is the climax of this novel, but that'd be too easy. We knew about his murder from the very first line of the novel. The actual crisis here is how the entire town managed to fail at preventing the murder from occurring. How could they screw things up this badly?
This portion of the novel reads like a chase in an action movie, and changes the focus from Santiago and his death to the guilt of the town—a turning point if we ever saw one.
Falling Action
Guilty As Charged
The town is reeling after Santiago's murder. Not just because of the murder, but because everyone feels guilty. Here we get to find out what happened to everyone involved, and see how they all dealt with the part they played in Santiago's murder.
Conclusion
A Foregone Conclusion
You knew it was going to come to this, didn't you? How else could this novel end but with the actual death of Santiago Nasar? After all of the hubbub, we ended the same way that we begin, knowing only one thing: Santiago dies.