What is the plot of "The Lottery"?

The story of "The Lottery" takes place on one day, the day
of the lottery, a beautiful summer day in June, in what appears to be a charming and
peaceful village.  The story opens as town officials and villagers gather for the
lottery and ends as the "winner" of the lottery, Tessie Hutchinson, is stoned to death
by the villagers.  All that happens in between those events is about the lottery, its
possible origins, its traditions, the idea (quickly dismissed) of doing away with the
lottery, and the protests of the "winner," who, now that she is about to die, has
concerns about the fairness of the procedure. The richness of the story lies in the
deceptive simplicity of this plot, which allows it to symbolize the horror of blind
conformity and unexamined tradition.