Holes is really three stories tied together. One is about the boys at Camp Green Lake. The second is about Stanley's great-great-grandfather and the "curse" put on him by Madame Zeroni. The third story is about Kissin' Kate Barlow, the outlaw who robbed

There are fifty chapters in Holes. Part I of the book is entitled, "You Are Entering Camp Green Lake," and consists of twenty-nine chapters. The story floats between three ideas - Stanley's predicament and experiences at the camp, the descriptions and stories about the yellow-spotted lizards, and the story of Camp Green Lake from 110 years before.

The second part of the book is entitled "The Last Hole," and extends from chapter 30 to Chapter 49. Again, the book switches between old history and new history, and the reader begins to see the connections between them. The stories about the lizards, the onions, Stanley's great-grandfather, Kissing Kate Barlow, and Madame Zeroni all are tied together.

The final part of the novel consists of just one chapter, Chapter 50. This chapter is called, "Filling in the Holes." Here, the author explains all the little details that bring us to the final Super Bowl Party, details like how much the treasure was worth, what Zero and Stanley did with their money, and how Clyde Livingston came to be sitting in Stanley's living room. The final chapter ties everything together and leaves the reader with a sense of completion.