subplot
/ˈsʌbplɑt/
noun
- A secondary or minor story line in a book, movie, play, or television show that runs alongside the main plot.
- The movie's main plot focuses on the heist, but there is a touching subplot about the thief's family.
- The romance between the two supporting characters is an interesting subplot in the novel.
- Many viewers found the subplot about the missing dog more engaging than the main story.
- A secondary or less important scheme, plan, or sequence of events in a real-life situation.
- The family reunion had a dramatic subplot when two cousins revealed a long-hidden secret.
- Behind the company's public merger announcement, there was a subplot of internal power struggles.
- The political scandal had a subplot involving secret negotiations between the two parties.