A story where a downtrodden protagonist rises from humble or miserable beginnings to success, wealth, or fulfillment.
Rags to riches is one of Christopher Booker's seven basic plots and probably the most aspirational story shape out there. It follows a protagonist who starts at the bottom, often oppressed, overlooked, or stuck in circumstances beyond their control. Through some combination of inner virtue, luck, determination, and help from others, they rise to a new status. But here is the important part that a lot of people miss: the best versions of this story include a crisis near the top, where the hero risks losing everything before truly earning their place. The "riches" do not have to be money. They can be love, respect, self-knowledge, or belonging.
This plot shape is emotionally irresistible because it promises that starting at the bottom does not mean staying there. It lets readers root for an underdog, which is one of the most powerful forms of engagement in storytelling. Understanding this structure helps you build the right emotional rhythm: sympathy first, then hope, then anxiety when it might all fall apart, and finally the satisfaction of a deserved rise.
Write the opening page of a rags-to-riches story without mentioning money at all. Define your character's poverty in terms of something non-financial: loneliness, creative stifling, lack of respect, or physical confinement. Plant one small seed of the quality that will eventually fuel their rise.