diff --git a/distributed/_stories.py b/distributed/_stories.py
index e461ae31ca2..d17e54df53f 100644
--- a/distributed/_stories.py
+++ b/distributed/_stories.py
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-from __future__ import annotations
-
 from typing import Iterable
 
 
@@ -21,29 +19,26 @@ def scheduler_story(keys: set, transition_log: Iterable) -> list:
     return [t for t in transition_log if t[0] in keys or keys.intersection(t[3])]
 
 
-def worker_story(keys_or_tags: set[str], log: Iterable) -> list:
+def worker_story(keys: set, log: Iterable) -> list:
     """Creates a story from the worker log given a set of keys
     describing tasks or stimuli.
 
     Parameters
     ----------
-    keys_or_tags : set[str]
-        A set of task `keys` or arbitrary tags from the event log, e.g. `stimulus_id`'s
+    keys : set
+        A set of task `keys` or `stimulus_id`'s
     log : iterable
         The worker log
 
     Returns
     -------
-    story : list[str]
+    story : list
     """
     return [
         msg
         for msg in log
-        if any(key in msg for key in keys_or_tags)
+        if any(key in msg for key in keys)
         or any(
-            key in c
-            for key in keys_or_tags
-            for c in msg
-            if isinstance(c, (tuple, list, set))
+            key in c for key in keys for c in msg if isinstance(c, (tuple, list, set))
         )
     ]
diff --git a/distributed/worker.py b/distributed/worker.py
index 1accfa5f2dd..bc5cac2dc25 100644
--- a/distributed/worker.py
+++ b/distributed/worker.py
@@ -2954,14 +2954,10 @@ def stateof(self, key: str) -> dict[str, Any]:
             "data": key in self.data,
         }
 
-    def story(self, *keys_or_tasks_or_tags: str | TaskState) -> list[tuple]:
-        """Return all records from the transitions log involving one or more tasks;
-        it can also be used for arbitrary non-transition tags.
-        """
-        keys_or_tags = {
-            e.key if isinstance(e, TaskState) else e for e in keys_or_tasks_or_tags
-        }
-        return worker_story(keys_or_tags, self.log)
+    def story(self, *keys_or_tasks: str | TaskState) -> list[tuple]:
+        """Return all transitions involving one or more tasks"""
+        keys = {e.key if isinstance(e, TaskState) else e for e in keys_or_tasks}
+        return worker_story(keys, self.log)
 
     async def get_story(self, keys=None):
         return self.story(*keys)