Oliver and Elio reunite in Italy. They are at first hesitant with one another because so much time has gone by. Elio worries that he remembers more about their first summer together than Oliver does. Oliver meets Miranda and her son, Ollie, who is named after Oliver. It occurs to Elio that Oliver has always been a part of him, so it’s natural that Ollie is named after Elio’s one true love.

Because the house by the sea feels cramped—Elio, his mother, Miranda, and Ollie all live there together—they go on a Mediterranean cruise. Alone, Elio and Oliver explore their new selves. Elio wants to talk about their past, but Oliver has given up a lot—including his wife—to be with Elio in the present. In Alexandria, Elio is surprised to discover that Oliver now speaks fluent modern Greek. Oliver notes the way Alexandrian Greeks, of whom there are few left, acquired a new culture and language different from that of mainland Greece; he is reminded of a poem detailing how a colony of Greeks in Italy—called the Poseidonians—adapted to Italian culture but celebrated their Greek heritage one day a year. He reflects that he often felt like them, when he was away from Elio and always longing for him, living a fallacy of a life.