In this book, Laws introduces a way of analyzing texts as a series of 'beats', mostly procedural or dramatic, which serve either to increase or resolve tension and danger for the protagonists. While this is supposedly a guide for GMing, the advice is rather scanty: alternate upbeats and downbeats, procedural and dramatic moments, and follow a long slide of downs with a triumphant up. The majority of the book (80%+) is a very detailed beat by beat summary of Hamlet, Dr No, and Casablanca.