[PhileasNietzche]

The very basics of storytelling. By definition, you need to be following the "very vague" definition here. Don't read too much into it and don't overthink it, because it's the opposite of what the author (a stellar creator of stories, himself) intended. Most stories, when looked at from a very high level, generally follow this formula. You are suffering from "can't see the forest for the trees" syndrome, old chap.

[tsimionescu]

A lot of stories do, but definitely not most.

For one thing, this only really applies to stories with a single protagonist. But lots of stories don't have a protagonist, and thus rarely fit this mold at all.

[citizenkeen]

The circle is cyclic. Game of Thrones follows the story circle, but each book is made of about twenty circles.

Don't confuse a story for the text.

[tsimionescu]

While Game of Thrones / ASOIAF have many separate interconnected stories and might indeed simply have multiple circles, one for each point of view character*, there are many stories that have a cast of characters and no protagonist.

For example, you could, in principle, analyze the story of each individual character in the Iliad, but that would be missing the story. The story of the Iliad encompasses all of these different characters doing to their part to advance or retard their cause. Different characters are more important in different parts, but there is a single cohesive story being told.

* though even here I would say that the stories of many of the characters don't match the circle model - notably, Ned doesn't return to anything.