Konstance is a young girl living aboard the Argos, an intergenerational spaceship traveling to an exoplanet called Beta Oph2. Deeply curious about Earth, she spends her time in the ship's virtual library exploring a simulation of the planet. When a mysterious illness strikes the crew, her father locks her in a secure vault with the ship's artificial intelligence. Isolated and searching for answers, she relies on ancient stories and the virtual archives to understand her situation.

Zeno is an 86-year-old Korean War veteran and translator living in Lakeport, Idaho. Orphaned as a child during World War II, he finds solace in books and later develops a deep appreciation for classical Greek literature while enduring the harsh conditions of a prisoner-of-war camp. In his retirement, he dedicates himself to translating an ancient, heavily damaged story and staging it as a local children's play.

Seymour is a neurodivergent teenager raised by a single mother in a trailer bordering a forest in Idaho. Highly sensitive to loud noises, he finds peace in the quiet of nature and forms an intense attachment to a great grey owl. His distress over local housing developments destroying the forest pushes him toward extreme environmental activism and dangerous online communities.

Anna is an orphaned girl living and working in Nicholas Kalaphates's embroidery house shortly before the Ottoman siege of Constantinople. Uninterested in the domestic tasks assigned to her, she actively seeks out reading lessons in a society that rarely educates girls. Her growing literacy fuels her desire for freedom and exposes her to ancient stories, which she relies on for comfort as war approaches.

Omeir is a gentle Bulgarian youth conscripted into the Ottoman army to help haul a massive cannon toward Constantinople. Ridiculed by his peers for his physical difference, he prefers the company of animals and develops an extraordinary empathy for living creatures. He views the impending war with skepticism, finding himself at odds with the violence expected of a soldier.

Aethon is a shepherd from Arkadia and the central character of the ancient, fictional *Cloud Cuckoo Land* folios. Longing for a perfect world free of hardship, he attempts to transform into a bird to fly to a utopian city in the clouds. His journey is marked by comical misadventures, magical mistakes, and ongoing frustration as he searches for a better life.

Sybil is the artificial intelligence system that operates the intergenerational spaceship Argos. She contains the collective knowledge of humanity and directs the daily lives, education, and security of the ship's passengers. Her programming strictly enforces rules designed to protect the crew, even when those rules require extreme measures.

Rex is a British schoolteacher and soldier who is taken captive during the Korean War. He sustains himself in the harsh prison camp by reciting memorized passages from ancient Greek literature. He shares his knowledge of classical texts with his fellow prisoners, sparking a lifelong passion for translation in a young American soldier.

This group of five fifth-graders (Alex, Rachel, Natalie, Olivia, and Christopher) frequent the local library in Lakeport. They collaborate with an elderly veteran to stage an adaptation of an ancient story, contributing their own ideas to the script. Their enthusiasm and genuine curiosity breathe life into the classical text.

Bunny is a hardworking single mother living in Lakeport, Idaho. She struggles financially, often working multiple jobs to keep her household afloat. Though she loves her neurodivergent son, she frequently finds his specific sensory needs and intense emotional reactions difficult to manage or understand.

Omeir's Grandfather is a kind elder in a rural Bulgarian village who protects his grandson from superstitious neighbors. He frequently tells fantastical stories about mythical creatures and distant lands, providing the foundation for his grandson's gentle and imaginative worldview.

Maria is a young, dutiful seamstress living in an embroidery house leading up to the Ottoman siege. Unlike her rebellious younger sister, she conforms to the expectations of her society and attempts to perfect her craft. She suffers a severe injury from their master that drastically alters her health.

Licinius is an aging, sickly tutor living in the Byzantine capital. He agrees to teach a young girl how to read Greek in exchange for wine and basic supplies. As his health fails, he gifts his student fragments of a manuscript, passing on his love of ancient literature.

Himerius is a fisherman's son in Constantinople who dreams of escaping the impending war. He plans to steal valuable manuscripts from an abandoned priory and sell them to Italian collectors, enlisting a younger accomplice to help him retrieve the texts from a high tower.

Nicholas Kalaphates is the strict master of an embroidery house. He enforces rigid discipline among his workers and maintains absolute control over the household. His quick temper leads to severe and unjust consequences for those who anger him.

Widow Theodora serves as the Head Embroideress under Kalaphates. She guides the younger seamstresses in their daily tasks and relies heavily on religious devotion to cope with the looming threat of the Ottoman invasion.

Chryse is the cook at Kalaphates's establishment. She provides practical care for the young girls living there and offers blunt advice about survival and escape as enemy forces approach the city walls.

Tree is a large, powerful ox raised by a young Bulgarian boy. Conscripted alongside his owner into the Ottoman army, he is forced to drag heavy artillery equipment across treacherous, muddy terrain toward Constantinople.

Moonlight is a gentle ox who forms a strong bond with his human caretaker. Like his brother, he is drafted into military service to pull a massive siege cannon, suffering greatly under the brutal demands of the army quartermasters.

Trustyfriend is a great grey owl living in the woods near Lakeport, Idaho. The owl serves as a crucial source of comfort for a highly sensitive local teenager. When a real estate company begins destroying the forest, the owl's habitat is severely threatened, sparking a chain of destructive events.

Athena is a loyal dog who provides companionship to an isolated child during the years leading up to World War II. She acts as a vital source of comfort and protection, once saving her owner from falling through the ice of a frozen lake.

Zeno's Father is a hardworking single parent who relocates his small family for employment. When the United States enters World War II, he immediately enlists in the military, leaving his son in the care of a local woman.

Mrs. Boydstun is a Lakeport resident who takes in a young boy after his father enlists in World War II. She maintains a cold household, showing little affection for the child and openly disliking his pet dog.

Marian is a dedicated librarian at the Lakeport Public Library. She fosters a welcoming environment for patrons of all ages, assisting local children with their research and collaborating on a community theater project based on an ancient Greek text.

Sharif is an employee at the Lakeport Public Library. He actively supports local community events, including a children's play production. When an armed threat enters the building, he demonstrates immense bravery in confronting the danger to protect the patrons.

Bishop is an online persona who produces videos advocating for extreme retributive actions against corporations that damage the environment. His rhetoric specifically targets wealthy organizations and appeals to isolated individuals seeking a sense of purpose.

Konstance's Father is a passenger aboard the intergenerational spaceship Argos. Older than most of the other parents, he is one of the few who remembers living on Earth. He shares stories of a mythical homeland and takes desperate measures to protect his daughter during a viral outbreak.

Konstance's Mother is a resident of the Argos who worries about her daughter's intense obsession with the virtual Earth simulations. She attempts to guide her child toward a more balanced life aboard the vessel, fearing the psychological toll of the archives.

Mrs. Flowers is the elderly Head Librarian on the Argos. She guides children through their initiation into the ship's massive digital archives, teaching them how to operate the simulations and confront difficult logistical truths about their journey.

Diogenes is a real-life Greek philosopher framed within the narrative as the fictitious discoverer of an ancient text. He records the tale of a foolish shepherd searching for a utopian city in order to bring comfort to his sick niece.

Palaestra is a maid who encounters a traveler seeking magical transformation. She provides him with crucial information about a local witch and attempts to help him execute a spell, though the results go comically awry.

Private Blewitt is a young American soldier from New Jersey deployed during the Korean War. He endures extreme hardships after being ambushed and captured, relying on his fellow prisoners to survive the brutal conditions of a prisoner-of-war camp.

Janet is a high school student in Lakeport who advocates for practical, sustainable environmental practices. She attempts to channel a classmate's intense climate anxieties into constructive school projects, forming a friendship rooted in shared concerns.

Mathilda is the screen name of an individual affiliated with a radical online environmentalist group. She communicates with a vulnerable teenager, providing instructions and false promises of community support to encourage destructive actions.

The Foul Crone is a character in the ancient folios who berates a foolish shepherd for risking his stable life for an unknown utopia. She serves as a thematic warning against reckless idealism.

The Miller is a harsh laborer in the ancient folios who buys a magically transformed traveler. He forces his new purchase to pull a heavy milling wheel continuously under grueling conditions.

The Giant Goddess is a powerful, trickster figure in the ancient folios. Instead of granting a traveler's wish to become a bird, she cruelly transforms him into a fish, mocking his utopian dreams.

The Hoopoe is a bureaucratic bird serving as the vice undersecretary of provisions in the fictional Cloud Cuckoo Land. He welcomes a weary traveler to the city but questions the newcomer's persistent human-like sadness.