Eva is a resourceful young woman born to a working-class single mother. She uses a prodigious talent for storytelling as a survival strategy to endure poverty and a series of difficult domestic service jobs. By inventing romantic, magical narratives, she actively shapes a better perspective on the oppressive sociopolitical environment around her.

Rolf is an Austrian boy who grows up in a violently abusive household during the close of World War II. After experiencing the trauma of the war and his father's cruelty, he relocates to a South American settlement called La Colonia. He develops a stoic demeanor, suppressing his emotions as he pursues a career as an objective documentary filmmaker to expose societal injustices.

Huberto is a street-smart boy who survives by hustling tourists and running street gangs. He encounters Eva while she is living on the streets and offers her brief protection. He harbors a rebellious streak against the corrupt government and adheres to traditional, machismo ideals about masculinity and control.

Mimí is a trans woman who lives at a brothel run by La Señora and performs at a local drag bar. Facing a deeply oppressive government that criminalizes her identity, she endures severe discrimination. She maintains a resilient, romantic outlook on life and provides fierce loyalty to her friends.

Consuelo is Eva's mother, a resourceful woman who works as a domestic servant in the home of Professor Jones. Having been raised in a convent before entering domestic service, she escapes the drudgery of her daily life by inventing magical stories. She instills in Eva a deep love for storytelling and a resilient sense of self-worth.

Elvira works as the cook in the home of the elderly sibling pair who become Eva's first employers. She has spent her entire life in domestic servitude and holds a pragmatic view of the world. She acts as a surrogate grandmother to Eva, teaching her practical lessons about standing up to cruel employers and surviving as a working-class woman.

Madrina is a biracial woman with a commanding presence who works as a cook and battles an alcohol dependency. She takes custody of Eva after Consuelo's death. Though she can be harsh and physically abusive due to her own traumas, she provides Eva with a baseline of shelter in a hostile world.

Professor Jones is a foreign doctor living in the nation's capital city who pioneers a groundbreaking embalming technique. His home is filled with books and preserved mummies. Unlike many employers in the country, he is a kind-hearted man who treats his servants with respect and compassion.

An attractive Indigenous man who works in Professor Jones's garden. After a life-threatening snakebite, he is cured through an intimate encounter with Consuelo before leaving the household permanently.

Lukas is a local schoolmaster in a small Austrian village and a brutal disciplinarian. After serving in World War II, he returns home and subjects his wife and children to severe physical and psychological abuse, maintaining total control over his household.

Frau Carlé is Rolf's mother. Trapped in a highly patriarchal society without the power to demand a divorce, she suffers terrible abuse from her husband. She ultimately sends Rolf to South America to protect him and give him a chance at a better life.

Jochen is Rolf's older brother. He takes a stand against their father's violence, using his physical strength to intervene in an abusive incident before leaving the family home for good.

Katharina is Rolf's sister, who has an intellectual disability. She is a vulnerable member of the Carlé family who suffers under the cruelty of her father's household.

Aunt Burgel is a resident of La Colonia, an isolated, idyllic settlement of European immigrants. She provides Rolf with a safe, restorative environment after he flees the trauma of his childhood in Austria.

Uncle Rupert is a resident of the bucolic town of La Colonia. He helps provide a supportive home for his nephew Rolf and assists him in hiding sensitive materials during times of political unrest.

Señor Aravena is a celebrated news reporter, journalist, and filmmaker. He becomes a mentor to Rolf, encouraging him to leave the sheltered environment of La Colonia and explore the real world.

The patrona is an irascible, elderly woman who berates her domestic staff. Frustrated by her own lack of social power, she abuses her limited authority over her servants, constantly creating unnecessary tasks to assert dominance.

The patron is an elderly man who appears amiable on the surface but makes predatory, inappropriate advances toward young Eva, attempting to groom her when she works in his home.

La Señora is a practical, kindly madam who runs a brothel out of her apartment on Calle República in the city's red-light district. She creates a tight-knit community for the women in her employ and takes Eva in, shielding her from the harsher realities of sex work.

Riad is a kindly Turkish immigrant who runs a shop called The Pearl of the Orient in the inland village of Agua Santa. He acts as a gentle protector to Eva when she arrives in his town, arranging for her education and treating her with a compassion she rarely experiences elsewhere.

Zulema is a beautiful woman whose family in Turkey pressured her into marrying Riad. Disgusted by his physical appearance and disappointed by his modest means, she suffers from severe depression and spends most of her days in bed, longing for passion and escape.

Kamal is a charismatic young man who fled a Palestinian refugee camp before coming to South America. His arrival in Agua Santa disrupts the household, drawing the infatuation of Eva and the aggressive romantic pursuit of Zulema.

Colonel Tolomeo Rodríguez is a military officer with a brutal reputation. He becomes infatuated with Eva, passing her notes and aggressively pursuing her despite being married, utilizing his intimidating status to try to force her into a relationship.

El Negro is a friend of Huberto Naranjo who helps connect him with the revolutionary forces in the mountains. He serves as a reliable liaison between the guerrillas and those in the capital, including Eva.

Inés is a local schoolteacher in the inland village of Agua Santa. Riad Halabí hires her to give Eva private reading and writing lessons, which helps Eva sharpen her natural talent for creating fictional worlds.

An eccentric employer who hires Eva during her period of transitory jobs. She invents a papier-mâché and cement mixture called Universal Matter, filling her home with fake objects that instill in Eva a lifelong suspicion about the physical nature of reality.

A former government official who lives a hedonistic lifestyle after falling from power. He employs Eva as a domestic servant and treats her with severe indignity, culminating in her abruptly leaving his service.