Here is a car summed up for you... The rest is in a technical manual.
1) Gas goes in the tank
2) A pump pushes it to the injector rail
3) The injectors timed by a computer open/close and let the fuel into the cylinders for combustion.
4) The Throttle body plate is attached to a cable or servo/wire that is control by your foot. You determine the amount of air the engine gets and it determines the fuel through the fuel injectors to go with it to make you happy. (as in go forward)
5) The 02 Sensor keeps an eye on things and reports back to the computer to change the fuel settings slightly to keep the green-peace people happy and to keep the polar-bears happy.
6) The sets of valves open and close as necessary to let the fuel/air in and the exaust out.
7) the Piston moves up and down as much as necessary to suck in and push out the gases and to compress the mixture for ignition.
8) the spark plugs ignite the mixture creating engergy output
9) Car moves forward via the power being transmitted to the wheels via the transmisoon
10) Happy smile on your face moving forward.
So as long as you have Fuel, Air, Spark, Timing and a bit of oil/water to keep things lubricated/cool all is well.
The rest is in a technical manual...