Morrie starts "The Twelfth Tuesday: We Talk about Forgiveness" with a new aphorism: "Forgive yourself before you die. Then forgive others." Morrie explains that he had a friend who made a sculpture of Morrie's head for him. When his wife Charlotte had an operation, Morrie was surprised that his friend, Norman, didn't contact him to see how Charlotte was doing, so he let the relationship fade away. A few years ago Norman died of cancer, and Morrie was upset that he had never made amends with his friend.

In the next short scene, Morrie tells Mitch that he found a spot to be buried on a hill under a tree. He asked Mitch if he would come visit him, and Mitch said he would, and he would try to come on a Tuesday. When Mitch visits, their roles will be reversed, and Mitch will be able to talk, and Morrie will listen.

In "The Thirteenth Tuesday: We Talk about the Perfect Day," Morrie reveals that he wants to be cremated. He thinks people need to stop being afraid of death and view it as a part of nature. Everything that is born will also die. Mitch mentions that an experimental drug was being tested to slow the progress of ALS, but Morrie decided not to try it. He knew it wouldn't cure him, just delay the inevitable. Mitch asks Morrie what he would do if he could have one day of being healthy. Morrie describes a very normal, boring day, and Mitch is surprised. Morrie wants to show him that these are the days we should learn to enjoy more. Morrie then asks about Mitch's brother, whom Mitch has been trying to contact. Morrie tells Mitch that "love is when you are as concerned about someone else's situation as you are about your own." Mitch is worried that he will never reconnect with his brother, but Morrie points out that Mitch was able to reconnect with him.

Mitch then recounts a story that Morrie told him about a wave. The little wave was worried it was going to crash and wanted to warn the other waves. A second wave assures him he need not worry because he is not just a little wave but a part of the ocean.

On "The Fourteenth Tuesday: We Say Good-bye," Mitch had received a call from Charlotte warning Mitch that Morrie had become very weak. Morrie was taking morphine to ease his pain. A hospice nurse was watching him twenty-four hours a day because they knew he could die at any moment. Morrie tried to get out some last words to Mitch, which included saying that he loved him. Mitch kissed him in response and finally cried for the first time, which pleased Morrie.

The next chapter titled "Graduation" described Morrie's last moments. It was a Saturday morning, and Morrie had fallen into a coma. His family, who had been with him constantly, had stepped into the kitchen for a moment when Morrie died. It seemed he had been waiting for a peaceful moment without anyone watching to finally let himself go. Charlotte kept his funeral private with just close friends, which included Mitch. Mitch realized that the funeral was appropriately held on a Tuesday.

Mitch then inserts a poem by E. E. Cummings that Morrie's son, Rob, read at the memorial service.

In "The Conclusion" Mitch writes about missing Morrie and the lasting effect Morrie has had on his life. Mitch owns a fax machine and surprisingly receives a fax from his brother, which makes him happy. Mitch credits Morrie with the idea for writing this book. He calls it the "final thesis" to the class that Morrie taught him. Morrie even helped come up with the title. Mitch circles back to the metaphor of the teacher and the class at the end as a way of tying the book together and explaining why he wrote it.