At twenty-six years old, Michael Obi appears physically frail and stoop-shouldered but possesses boundless physical energy. He is fiercely dedicated to modernizing the rural mission school and replacing traditional Indigenous beliefs with Western education and aesthetics. His lack of cultural tolerance drives his strict administrative style and sets up an ideological clash with the local community.

An old, stooped man who walks with a stout stick and serves as the spiritual leader for the village, specifically as the priest of Ani, the earth goddess. He possesses quiet strength and emotional intelligence, advocating for peaceful coexistence between the school's modern ways and the village's deep-rooted traditions.

Nancy is Michael Obi's young and status-conscious wife. She has fully absorbed her husband's passion for modernization and dreams of being admired as the local trendsetter or "queen of the school." She focuses heavily on aesthetic improvements, dedicating herself to planting beautiful modern gardens.

An unnamed colonial administrator who acts as the official inspector for the mission schools. He represents the overarching British colonial authority, evaluating the local teachers not as equals but as instruments for the imperial project.

A local staff member at the Ndume Central School. He understands the cultural significance of the ancestral path and cautiously attempts to warn the new headmaster about local religious practices and the history of the village's reactions.

An elderly villager who faithfully follows the ancestral path that connects the village shrine to the burial grounds. Her routine passage across the school's property alerts the new administration to the path's active use.