Our understanding of a story is highly dependent upon our ability to recognize the underlying purpose for actions described in the story. We need to view those actions as steps in, or reactions to, plans. This paper sketches some of the components of a model for the understanding of plans and social actions. The model is first applied to narrative text, wherein actions of characters need to be interpreted as social actions. The emphasis on social actions and plans leads to a distinction between "story analysis" and "story model analysis" (that is, analysis of a reader's model for the story). Next, the model is applied to texts in general, wherein the author's action of writing needs to be interpreted as an action performed to achieve a social goal. Finally, the paper discusses implications for teaching and further research. (Author/AA)