The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Korneliussen, Niviaq (translation by Anna Halagar), Last Night in Nuuk. Grove Atlantic. First Paperback Edition, January 2019. The story is broken down into five parts, each narrated in a different, first-person voice.

Part 1 is narrated by a young woman named Fia, who ends a dull and sometimes painful relationship with an earnestly affectionate man named Peter. She leaves their shared home, and moves in with her friend Arnaq, a young woman with a troubled past and a love of partying, particularly of alcohol. One Friday night, Fia goes with Arnaq to a party where she finds herself powerfully attracted to a young woman (Sara) who is, in turn, the partner of a woman to whom Arnaq is attracted (Ivik). Both Fia and Arnaq become frustrated by the lack of sexual intimacy with the women they find attractive, and end up having sex with each other. It is Fia’s first sexual encounter with a woman, and the morning after, she is uncomfortable and refuses to talk about it. She cannot, however, stop thinking about Sara. Sometime later, she and Sara have another seemingly random encounter that results in them making a connection and realizing they are in love with each other.

Part 2 is narrated by a young woman named Inuk, who is eventually revealed to be Fia’s younger brother. The narrative in this section unfolds in a series of letters and journal entries, starting with Inuk’s descriptions of being in prison, escaping, and ending up in exile. The content of the letters and journal entries reveal that Inuk is unhappy about Fia’s emerging same-sex orientation, and that he has conservative, anti-gay views; that he has been suspected of having a relationship with a politician; and that Arnaq (who had been Inuk’s best friend) had revealed that relationship in such a way that the press have gotten hold of it. The politician denies any relationship. The friendship between Inuk and Arnaq comes to an end. Inuk is eventually fired from his job as a journalist. As the narrative of this section concludes, Inuk reveals that he is gay, with the language of the final entries in his journal suggesting that he is planning to kill himself.

Part 3 is narrated by Arnaq, who describes the events of the Friday night / Saturday in which she took Fia to the bar, had the encounter with Ivik and Sara, and had sex with Fia. Arnaq’s narrative reveals that she has a significant problem with alcohol, and that she has a history of being sexually abused by her father. There are also revelations of what Arnaq did after she slept with Fia. She wanted to continue partying, so she went to a house party with Inuk. There, she found Ivik there, and was so desperate to gain her interest that she tried to impress her with the revelation that Inuk really was involved with the politician. After, Inuk stormed out and had sex with Ivik. On the Saturday morning after, Arnaq tries to contact Inuk, but he does not respond. Arnaq tries to connect with Ivik by flirting with her, only to have Ivik’s girlfriend (Sara) find the texts and tell Ivik to leave. Arnaq then learns that she has no money, and she has to beg her abusive, manipulative father for cash. That night, she flirts with the man who took her to the first party. Arnaq manipulates the man into buying more booze so they can party some more.

Part 4 is narrated by Ivik, who describes how, over the course of her childhood and adolescence, she realized (and came to accept) that she did not feel the same way about boys, girls, and sexuality as everyone around her – and how her acting on that realization and that acceptance alienated her from her parents. She then describes having fallen in love with Sara; becoming so desperate that she would do anything to keep their relationship going; her physical and emotional pain at having sex with her; and her guilt after having sex with Arnaq. She describes breaking up with Sara, her despair at not being able to see her – and her relief when Sara, after they finally meet again, confronts her with a truth that she had been denying: that she is in fact, a man.

Part 5 is narrated by Sara, who narrates her overwhelming joy at being present at the birth of her sister’s baby, and how even while she feels like the world is new, that she is contaminated and dirty. She recalls her attraction to, and encounters with, Fia, and wishes they could be together. Then, while talking about the baby’s name with her sister, she realizes the truth about Ivik – that she is in fact, a man. They talk, and Sara feels good and right about promising to continue to be Ivik’s friend. That night, she goes to a party, where she encounters Fia and, in a parallel description to Fia’s description of that encounter, makes a connection with her and realizes that they are in love.