The Gathering Storm consists of a prologue, 50 chapters, and an epilogue.

The series' storyline has been leading up to the "Last Battle" (Tarmon Gai'don): a fight between the forces of Light and Shadow. According to prophecy in the series the primary protagonist Rand al'Thor, as the Dragon Reborn, will "fight the [battle]", and must be present for the forces of Light to have a chance at winning and stopping the being known as the Dark One, the primary antagonist, from escaping his prison.^[2][3][4]

The Gathering Storm follows many plot threads but focuses on two characters, Rand al'Thor and Egwene al'Vere. It follows al'Thor's attempts to unite and rally the world's forces for the Last Battle, it also addresses his struggle with sanity following the events of the series. The unification of the White Tower, the headquarters of the female channelers known as Aes Sedai, is addressed from al'Vere's perspective, as well as the exposure of the Black Ajah, a secretive and opposing faction within the story.^[5] While the stories of other main characters such as Perrin Aybara and Mat Cauthon are briefly touched upon, they have little bearing on the main plot line. Some main characters such as Elayne Trakand and Lan Mandragoran do not appear at all, but are referred to.^[6]