The story of Yume Nikki is mostly up to the player's interpretation. All we know for sure is that Madotsuki, the game's silent protagonist, lives alone in her apartment which she refuses to leave and which contains a desk, a single Famicom game console, a balcony, and, most importantly, a bed. Upon going to bed, Madotsuki explores her dreams, a surreal world full of illogically connected, smaller worlds to gather "effects." What exactly these dreams and effects represent in Madotsuki's personal life is, again, up to interpretation. Even Madotsuki's name, a name that isn't a real name in Japan, is entirely up to interpretation.