Charlie is a former expatriate returning to Paris after the 1929 stock market crash. He is recovering from alcohol addiction and works to maintain his sobriety by strictly limiting himself to one drink a day. Now a successful businessman, he seeks to regain custody of his young daughter and approaches his return to Paris with caution, consciously avoiding the people and bars that defined his reckless past.

Honoria is the young daughter of Charlie and Helen Wales, currently living under the guardianship of her aunt and uncle. She exhibits a maturity beyond her years, managing adult conversations with polite grace and expressing her preferences clearly, such as when she orders her own lunch. She adores her father and expresses a consistent desire to live with him permanently.

Marion is Helen's sister and the legal guardian of Honoria. She harbors deep resentment toward Charlie, blaming his reckless behavior—specifically an incident where he locked Helen out in a snowstorm—for her sister's declining health and eventual death. As a protective aunt, she doubts Charlie's claims of reformation and uses her legal authority to test his resolve.

Lincoln is Marion's husband and acts as a mediating presence within the Peters household. Unlike his wife, he approaches Charlie with a sense of practical understanding and cautious sympathy. He recognizes Charlie's efforts to reform and the genuine affection between the father and daughter, often steering tense conversations back to practical matters.

Helen is Charlie's deceased wife and Honoria's mother. Her tragic death followed a severe bout of illness, which her sister Marion directly attributes to an incident where Charlie locked Helen out in a snowstorm. She remains a palpable presence in Charlie's life, appearing in his thoughts and dreams as a reminder of his past failures and his ongoing duties to their daughter.

Lorraine is an American acquaintance from Charlie's previous life in Paris. Still actively engaging in a lifestyle of excess, she fails to understand Charlie's commitment to sobriety. She treats his new discipline as a joke and repeatedly attempts to draw him back into their old, careless habits, tracking him down at restaurants and family homes.

Duncan is a figure from Charlie's extravagant past who accompanies Lorraine through the Parisian social scene. He shares Lorraine's frivolous attitude and functions as a living reminder of the mistakes Charlie desperately tries to leave behind.