synopsis

This term carries a professional, structured connotation, typically associated with the publishing, film, and academic worlds. It implies a condensed version of a larger work that preserves the core narrative arc or main arguments without diving into granular detail. While a summary can be informal or a mere recollection of events, a synopsis is often a formal requirement for a proposal. It focuses on the structural skeleton of a story, ensuring the recipient understands the beginning, middle, and end of the plot.