- So here's where everything gets weird. Instead of talking about Pnin, the narrator starts to tell us about his—yes, the narrator's—own memories.
- The first time he met Pnin was when he got some coal dust into his eye. Pnin's dad was an ophthalmologist, so this isn't too weird.
- They meet again five years later, when Pnin is acting in a play. We can imagine that was a sight. Then again during the Russian Revolution. This all said, Pnin denies ever meeting the narrator.
- Also way back in the flashback, the narrator meets Liza. She's not Wind or Pnin yet, but Bogolepov. It turns out that she writes pretty terrible poetry and has a crush on the narrator.
- We guess she has a thing for terrible guys. Anyway, it doesn't work out. Pnin proposes to her in a really, really sweet letter. Liza accepts out of spite. Which is the best reason to get married, all the wedding blogs are sure to tell you.
- Six years later, after Liza and Pnin are married, the narrator meets up with them again in Paris. Again, Pnin completely denies every single thing the narrator has told us so far. Which makes the narrator seem pretty sketchy to us.
- Fast-forward a bit and it turns out that this guy is the one who's about to snatch Pnin's job at Waindell College! Where'd that come from! Sketchy as he may be, he still offers Pnin a job. Pnin refuses.
- On the way to Waindell, the narrator stops at a party where a guy named Jack Cockrell does an impression of Pnin that lasts a little bit too long. Then, after everyone is drunk it seems like they have reverted to being five-year-olds and want to harass poor Pnin over the phone. This is just getting weirder and weirder.
- Finally, Ms. Cockrell stops everything and everyone goes home.
- The story ends on the day that the narrator is taking his job and Pnin is leaving. The narrator sees Pnin driving away, and tries to say hello but he gets ignored. All we see is Pnin's little car sputtering off into the sunset.
- But that's too nice a picture to end on.
- Instead, we're left with Cockerell once again making fun of Pnin. This time he imitates the moment that we meet our professor—you know, way back on page one—and so brings the story full circle.