Aliens attacking a space station. People thinking up ad copy. Lawyers defending an accused murderer. Some guy making meth. Stories like these can contain moral allegories and gorgeous imagery. The plots can be puzzles that we enjoy solving (or failing to anticipate). Wherever they're set, these tales can make us cry or forget to breathe. But here's what a plot really is, for the most part: It's an excuse for us spend time with people we ...