MacGuffin Hunt

Develop a plot where characters are in pursuit of a coveted object, but the true value or purpose of this object is never clearly defined.

This plot device, referred to as the ‘MacGuffin,’ is synonymous with Hitchcock. Everyone wants it. No one exactly knows why. It’s the object that drives the plot and the suspense, yet is somewhat arbitrary in its actual substance. How might the characters’ obsessions reflect their own shortcomings or desires? What kind of suspenseful situations can the pursuit of the MacGuffin create?