Scheme (noun)

1. A plan or program of action, especially a systematic or comprehensive one.
2. A secret or underhand plot or plan.
3. A design or pattern, especially in art or architecture.
4. A system or organized set of ideas or concepts.

Origin:

Late middle english: from old french eschéma, from greek skhēma "shape, form," from the base of skhein "to have or hold".

Examples:

1. The government has proposed a new scheme to reduce poverty.
2. He was accused of being involved in a scheme to defraud investors.
3. The scheme of the building is quite simple but elegant.
4. The scheme of the book is to explain the history of the world in 12 chapters.