Mr. Hosokawa is the dedicated head of Nansei, the largest electronics corporation in Japan. He spends most of his life working and traveling, leaving little time for leisure or his family. His one true passion is opera music, a love that draws him to the ill-fated birthday celebration in South America. During the standoff, he experiences a personal awakening and finds himself shedding his formal corporate identity.

Roxanne is a celebrated American soprano whose vocal talent commands universal respect. She possesses a radiant presence that awes both the international dignitaries and the young militants. Held as the only female hostage after the others are released, she uses her music to create structure and emotional release for everyone trapped in the mansion. She adapts to captivity with surprising resilience and demands respect from her captors.

Gen is a gifted, polyglot translator who functions as the critical communication link between all factions inside the mansion. He is naturally reserved and prefers to disappear behind the words of others rather than assert his own desires. The pressure of the hostage situation forces him to mediate demands, organize schedules, and eventually pursue secret language lessons with one of the young militants.

Father Arguedas is a young Catholic priest who harbors a deep, almost guilty passion for opera music. When the terrorists allow the clergy to leave, he voluntarily stays behind to minister to both the captives and the captors. He views the crisis as an opportunity to perform meaningful spiritual works, organizing ad hoc masses and taking confession from the teenagers.

Messner is a Swiss negotiator for the International Red Cross who interrupts his South American vacation to handle the crisis. He serves as the sole bridge between the isolated world inside the mansion and the government forces outside. He brings supplies, relays demands, and slowly develops an unexpected, protective fondness for the people trapped inside.

Carmen is a young Indigenous militant who speaks Quechua as her first language. She harbors a profound appreciation for the music played in the mansion and views the environment as a beautiful sanctuary. Her desire to learn Spanish and English leads to secret literacy lessons in the china closet. She is stealthy, observant, and gentle despite carrying a weapon.

Ruben Iglesias is the Vice President of the unnamed host country. Born into working-class poverty, he worked as a janitor to fund his education and retains a practical, grounded worldview. After surviving a blow to the face during the initial takeover, he busies himself by maintaining the mansion's overgrown gardens and cooking for the group.

General Benjamin is a leader of the militant group La Familia de Martin Suarez. He joined the revolutionary cause after his brother was imprisoned, abandoning his previous life as a grade school teacher. He struggles to maintain strict military discipline as the days stretch on and finds himself increasingly confused by the pacifying effects of the opera music.

Simon is a diplomat from France who deeply misses his wife after she is released with the other women. To cope with his isolation and sorrow, he volunteers to act as the de facto chef for the inhabitants of the mansion. He guides the young militants in the kitchen and tries to maintain a sense of civilized domesticity.

Beatriz is a young, impetuous militant who develops an intense obsession with the television soap operas playing in the mansion's study. She possesses a volatile temper and demands punctuality for her favorite programs, but slowly reveals a desire for spiritual absolution through her interactions with the priest.

Cesar is a young captor who discovers an uncanny, raw talent for singing. He idolizes the American soprano and begins mimicking her arias, eventually earning her direct vocal instruction.

Ishmael is the smallest of the male captors. He demonstrates a natural, observant intelligence, learning to play chess simply by watching others. He frequently assists the Vice President in the garden.

Kato is an employee of the electronics corporation who surprises everyone by revealing his exceptional piano skills. He steps in to accompany the daily vocal practices, allowing music to fill the house once more.

Fyodorov is a Russian hostage who harbors a deep appreciation for art and beauty, a trait he attributes to his grandmother. He enlists the translator to help him make an earnest, respectful declaration of his affections to the famous soprano.

Edith is a French diplomat's wife. She is separated from her husband early in the crisis when the captors decide to release the women and children.

President Masuda is the leader of the host country who skips the birthday party to stay home and watch his favorite soap opera, inadvertently saving himself from capture.

Esmeralda is the Vice President's nanny. She demonstrates calm competence under pressure when she uses a sewing kit to stitch up her employer's facial wound before being released.

Oscar is a contractor who bonds with the Vice President over their shared home city. He contemplates declaring his feelings for the soprano but decides against it.

Manuel is a local music teacher who provides the sheet music necessary for the daily vocal practices.

The unnamed pianist who travels with the soprano. He suffers a fatal diabetic coma early in the crisis because he is denied access to his insulin.

General Hector is one of the older militant leaders who helps oversee the hostages. He observes the captives' growing attachment to the mansion.

Monsignor Rolland is an older Catholic priest who is released with the women and staff. He spends his brief captivity calculating how the event might improve his standing in the Church.

Luis is a political prisoner whose incarceration motivates his brother to abandon teaching and take up arms against the state.