Hypothetical situation (8)
I believe the answer is:
scenario
'hypothetical situation' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for scenario that I've seen before include "Storyline" , "plotting for a film" , "Outline of film, novel, etc" , "Postulated sequence of events" , "Written outline of a film or play" .)