Jonathan is an optimistic survivor of the Biafran War living in Enugu, Nigeria. A former coal miner, he provides for his family by using his miraculously preserved bicycle as a taxi and opening a small palm-wine bar. Guided by his deep faith and an innate practicality, he focuses on gratitude for his living family members rather than mourning the property and life lost to the conflict.

Maria is Jonathan's industrious and resilient wife. She immediately contributes to the family's post-war economic recovery by frying and selling Akara balls made of ground beans to her neighbors. She stands as a grounded, steady presence during the volatile post-war recovery, fully sharing in her husband's commitment to hard work.

Led by a brazen, pidgin-English-speaking leader, this gang of robbers operates in the fractured society of post-war Nigeria. They mock the concept of "Civil Peace," viewing the cessation of military conflict as an opportunity for unchecked crime. The group highlights the severe breakdown of law, order, and community protection in the nation's recovery period.

Dressed in ragged clothing with mismatched shoes and a hand-drawn insignia of rank, the army officer attempts to exploit his supposed military status for personal gain. He roams the post-war environment taking advantage of vulnerable citizens. His lack of firmness and physical grip reveals him as a likely imposter.