Pass the Alleve, Please

I long for a simple plot. I long for the kind of plot where the protagonist wants this, but can't have it because [fill in the blank:] and so must spend the rest of the book struggling against the antagonist or antagonistic force in order to achieve her goal. And of course she'll triumph and live joyfully ever after.

But instead, my plots tend more toward: Protagonist wants this, but can't have it because of a trick within a ploy, hidden in a stratagem, deeply embedded within a subterfuge, spri...