Goldmund waits in a castle dungeon, condemned to death and expecting a priest to hear his final confession. He plans to kill the priest and escape in his robes, but the visitor turns out to be Narcissus—an old friend and perhaps the only true friend he has ever had. Overcome with emotion, Goldmund confesses that he does not want to die. Narcissus reveals that he has compromised his own standing within the cloister to save him, and Goldmund begins recounting their first meeting.

At Mariabronn, the young Goldmund admires Narcissus and longs to become like him. Narcissus is drawn to Goldmund’s vulnerability and dangerous allure but believes that he belongs to an entirely different world. While running an errand outside the monastery, Goldmund encounters a Gypsy woman and awakens to beauty and desire. He decides to leave the cloister. Narcissus secretly meets him during retreat, accepts his decision, and bids him farewell.

Goldmund’s life beyond the cloister is filled with love, desire, and numerous women, as well as a growing passion for sculpture. He becomes an apprentice to a renowned sculptor and carves a figure of John the Apostle—the name Narcissus adopted upon his ordination.

After the plague kills the woman carrying his unborn child, Goldmund questions how such suffering can be God’s will. Narcissus replies that death comes to everyone and that suffering forms part of a divine trial. Goldmund angrily rejects this explanation but asks Narcissus to provide him with a studio at the cloister.

Goldmund fills the monastery grounds with sculptures, yet one figure remains veiled: Maria, whose face resembles that of the mother he can no longer fully remember. Eventually, he decides that his art requires him to return to the outside world. Before leaving, Goldmund and Narcissus acknowledge the profound love between them, and Narcissus admits that Goldmund has taught him its true meaning.

After further wandering, Goldmund returns to Narcissus to die. He no longer needs to carve Maria’s face because his memory of his mother has returned, bringing him peace. He asks Narcissus how anyone can die without a mother. After Goldmund’s death, Narcissus sings as the fire within him is finally awakened.