Lucy is a young middle-class Englishwoman from the rural parish of Summer Street. She travels to Italy under the strict chaperonage of her older cousin, Charlotte. Through her travels and her passionate piano playing, she begins to question the rigid Edwardian social expectations that govern her life. She faces a choice between two different men who represent opposite paths for her future.

George is a working-class young man traveling in Italy with his father. He suffers from a deep melancholy but is stirred to life by his encounters with Lucy. Raised to think critically about society, he frequently ignores the strict rules of polite Edwardian culture, choosing instead to act on his sincere emotions.

Cecil is a wealthy, refined upper-middle-class man from London. He looks down on rural communities and views his engagement to Lucy as an opportunity to mold her into an idealized, sophisticated figure. He is highly concerned with aesthetics and social standing, but he struggles to connect with others on a genuine emotional level.

Charlotte is Lucy's older, unmarried cousin who acts as her chaperone in Italy. She enforces Edwardian etiquette with religious zeal, constantly fretting over propriety and reputation. Despite her limited financial means, she maintains her middle-class status through strict adherence to social rules and carefully manages public appearances.

George's father is a working-class man who married into wealth. He holds socialist beliefs and speaks with absolute honesty, frequently breaching polite society's unwritten rules. He deeply cares for his son's happiness and continually urges those around him to embrace the truth rather than hiding behind manners.

Mrs. Honeychurch is Lucy and Freddy's mother, residing at the family home, Windy Corner. She is a practical woman comfortably rooted in her rural community. She values common sense over high culture and occasionally clashes with Cecil's arrogant London sensibilities.

Lucy's brother is an active, good-natured young man who enjoys outdoor activities. He functions as a stark contrast to the overly refined Cecil. Freddy cares little for social pretension and quickly befriends George Emerson when he moves to their parish.

A genial clergyman who meets Lucy in Florence and is later appointed to her local church in Summer Street. He admires Lucy's energetic piano playing and possesses a tolerant, observant nature regarding the various social factions in his parish.

An English writer staying at the hotel in Florence. She flouts certain gender expectations by earning her own living and venturing off the beaten path in the city, though she remains embedded in middle-class biases. She uses the events and people around her as material for her satirical novels.

An English priest residing in Florence. He is highly judgmental and snobbish, harboring a strong, baseless prejudice against the working-class Emersons. He professes a love for Italian art while demonstrating disgust for actual Italian people.

One of two elderly sisters staying at the hotel in Florence. She is deeply invested in the rules of polite society and highly critical of anyone who exhibits improper behavior. She acts as a rigid enforcer of Edwardian norms.

The second of the "Miss Alans," an elderly English tourist in Florence. She shares her sister's strict adherence to Edwardian etiquette and their mutual disapproval of the Emersons' working-class manners.

Cecil's well-connected mother who lives in London. She shares her son's belief that they must refine Lucy and purge her of her rural, middle-class habits to prepare her for high society.

A local landlord in Summer Street who owns two notably garish houses named Albert and Cissie. He is highly concerned with securing the "right type" of respectable tenants for his properties, making him a target for Cecil's mockery.

Mr. Beebe's young niece who visits the Honeychurch family in Summer Street. She participates in local social activities and games.