A complete analysis of a story's structure must rely on more than a simple grammar of story components; it requires a consideration of the characters' plans as they are stated or implied in the story. Furthermore, these plans are recognized as the characters' beliefs, and beliefs about interactions among plans are crucial determinants of a story's structure. A notation system representing such interacting plans may be applied to a simple children's tale about a fox and a rooster, describing various phenomena that appear in this story. For example, a character in conflict with another may try to conceal his or her real plans or try to deceive the other character into acting in a way that serves his or her own interest at the other's expense. A character may thus construct a plan that is intended to be believed by the other, but is not actually carried out. Such a virtual plan plays a central role in the fox and rooster story and is common in other stories in which characters interact. (Author/AEA)