Mr. Wissler is a teacher of a Narrative Studies class that he is very fond of. He has been teaching for thirty years. One year, he taught a class in Germany where he taught poems by authors from all over the globe. They begin with German poems, and the students patiently help him with his German.

Mr. Wissler then moves to Frankfurt to teach illiterate American soldiers. He believes this is the most beautiful class he has ever taught. Next, he teaches in Iowa, then Connecticut. He recalls a student who had received a C on her paper and complained. He had discussed that there are two worlds: one that is rigid and revolving around exams, grades, and degrees, and another that has no grades and the ability to break the rules instead.

He ruminates over his love for the human scape of a classroom and the "poetry of a body." The time comes when Mr. Wissler teaches his last class, and his students exude a bittersweet sense of farewell. Mr. Wissler has an embarrassing fall in the snow, but a student helps him back up and tells him to take care. Mr. Wissler says a mental farewell to all the students he remembers.