Introductions to narratives -- no matter the genre -- usher readers and viewers into the lives and life circumstances of the main character. Here audiences meet the main character and are first introduced to a challenge or problem that the character must face, resolve or overcome. That challenge or situation acts as catalyst to the characters' future decisions and actions and create a sense of tension or suspense. The audience is also introduced to the setting in which the action takes place, including the time and location, and how those details factor into the story.
In the typical narrative structure, the main character or characters may face a single conflict or challenge or a series of them. The conflict causes the character to suffer a disruption in his life or a change in circumstances. Conflicts can occur between factors external to the main character, like the environment or other characters, or the challenge can be an internal, emotional conflict within.
All the action or tension created within the typical narrative structure propels the character to face the opposing forces that created the initial conflict; the main character's future often hangs in the balance at this point. In a typical narrative structure, the plot hinges on what happens next. The character's situation either changes for the better or the worse based on what happens during the confrontation of the conflict, also known as the climax.
Whether the main character conquerors a raging sea or caves in to a foe, in a typical narrative structure the character reaches some form of resolution as it relates to the conflict or challenge presented at the outset. Without a resolution a narrative structure falls apart; by its very nature, narrative structure hinges on the conflict and the set of events that propel the main character to resolve that conflict. As the conflict is resolved, the tension created dissipates and the audience is left to draw satisfying conclusions about the outcome.