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Ivan Yakovlevich, a barber, wakes one morning and finds a nose in his bread. Ivan recognizes it as the nose of Collegiate Assessor Kovalyov, one of his clients. Baffled at the appearance of the nose, Ivan wonders how it found its way into his bread. However, since he is an alcoholic, Ivan struggles to remember the events of the previous night. Ivan wraps the nose in a cloth and makes his way through St. Petersburg to St. Isaac’s Bridge. The narrator of the story gives the reader context on Ivan’s relationship to Kovalyov, telling us that Kovalyov would often remark during shaves that Ivan’s hands stunk. This bothered and confused Ivan, but he took care not to let his feelings show. At the bridge, Ivan attempts to discreetly drop the nose into the river, and he feels relieved once it’s gone. However, he’s immediately apprehended by a police officer who observed his suspicious behavior. The officer begins to question Ivan, but the narrator tells us that the scene is covered with mist, and that what happens next is a mystery.

Kovalyov wakes to find that his nose is missing from his face. His first thought is to report the missing nose to the Head of Police, and he dashes out of his house. The narrator explains that Kovalyov is an egotistical man who is quite proud of his collegiate assessor rank. He calls himself “Major Kovalyov” despite not being in the military, because it makes him sound more impressive. He uses his titles to solicit as many women as possible, although he would be willing to settle down in marriage should he find a wealthy bride.

Out on the town, Kovalyov wonders if he is dreaming that he’s lost his nose, but every attempt to wake himself is futile. As he leaves a coffee house, he sees his very own nose getting into a carriage dressed in the impressive uniform of a state councilor—a rank several levels higher than collegiate assessor. Kovalyov follows his nose into a church, where he approaches the nose while it prays. He tries to remind his nose that it belongs on its face, but the nose tells Kovalyov that it is an independent person and has no relationship to Kovalyov. It also insults Kovalyov’s lower rank. While Kovalyov is distracted by the sight of a beautiful girl, the nose disappears.

Kovalyov attempts again to find the Head of Police but is unsuccessful, so he decides to try printing an ad about his missing nose in the newspapers. He tells the clerk at the newspaper office that he will offer a reward to the person who finds his nose. He also rants about how difficult it is to live without a nose, because it’s such a conspicuous body part to lose, and explains that he can’t visit his high-ranking friends until he gets it back. The clerk refuses to print the ad because the paper has already been in hot water for publishing an ad about a missing poodle that turned out to be satire. Kovalyov insists that his ad is not satire and is really about his nose, but has no luck printing the ad.

Kovalyov visits the Inspector of Police to report his missing nose, but the Inspector implies that respectable men do not lose their noses and that Kovalyov must be involved in some sort of shady or unseemly behavior. Kovalyov returns home, where he complains to his footman that he would have rather lost a limb or an ear, as losing a nose is such an altering deformity that he can’t even be sure if he is a human anymore. He then has the idea that Mrs. Podtochina has used magic to steal his nose in revenge for not proposing to her daughter. Just as he plans to accuse Mrs. Podtochina, the police officer who saw Ivan drop the nose at St. Isaac’s Bridge arrives at Kovalyov’s house. He has tracked down Kovalyov’s nose, which he hands back to him wrapped in paper. He tells Kovalyov that the nose was found with a fake passport, preparing to leave the country.

Overjoyed, Kovalyov attempts to put the nose back on his face, but it won’t stick. He calls his doctor, who comes to inspect the nose. The doctor refuses to sew the nose back on Kovalyov’s face, and advises that Kovalyov simply let time take its course. Later, despite the police officer having identified Ivan as a person of interest in the case of the missing nose, Kovalyov writes to Mrs. Podtochina and accuses her of the crime. Her response convinces Kovalyov that she had nothing to do with the missing nose. Meanwhile, the narrator explains that rumors of Kovalyov’s nose, dressed as a gentleman and wandering St. Petersburg, have spread through the public. A scam tourist industry has even popped up to exploit the urban legend of the nose.

Kovalyov wakes one morning to find that the nose is back on his face. He returns to chasing women, cavorting with his high-status social circles, and decorating himself with unearned medals. The narrator concludes the story by remarking on how absurd it all is, and that they can’t understand why an author would write such a thing. However, as they ponder it further, they realize there may be a grain of truth to the tale.

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