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The story is what happens to the characters. Given a starting point and two different characters, you would have two different stories. In the movie world - maybe also in the literary world, I don't know - you will hear people talk about the character arc. This is roughly what happens to the character during the evolution of the story.
Get hold of a copy of "Write Away" by Elizabeth George. She provides a questionnaire about characters which she needs to fill in before she begins writing. You need to know so much about your character to be able to write effectively about how (s)he would react in a given situation. And yes, you're going to find from time to time that one or other of your characters wouldn't do what you want them to do, and you've got to find a way round that. It might even mean writing a different story from the one you thought you were going to write.
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