We propose a framework for the theory of the "normal" metallic state of the CuO 2 planes of high Tc superconductors. This state is closely analogous to the known state of the one-dimensional Hubbard model, with spin excitations which can be thought of as chargeless (Z = 0) Fermions occupying the interior of the conventional Fermi surface, and charged excitations which have zero energy near the spanning vectors 2kF of that Fermi surface. The electron spectrum is the composite spectrum of two of these excitations, and can be fitted to angle-resolved photoemission data. When we do so we can calculate or estimate many properties of the normal state in excellent agreement with experiment, and show that the pair susceptibility is anomalously large and temperature-dependent, explaining the high Tc and the specific heat behavior.