William is an eight-year-old boy evacuated from an impoverished London neighborhood to the rural village of Little Weirwold. He arrives malnourished and timid. Having endured severe physical discipline from his mother, he expects punishment at every turn. He interprets normal rural life through a lens of fear and religious guilt but slowly begins to respond to a patient environment.

Mrs. Beech is William's mother, residing in London. She enforces rigid puritanical religious beliefs and views her child as inherently sinful. She uses severe physical violence to maintain absolute control over her household, demanding total subservience.

Tom is an elderly widower living in the rural community of Little Weirwold. After losing his wife and infant son decades ago, he isolated himself from his neighbors. The sudden arrival of an evacuated child forces him to re-engage with the community. He hides a deep capacity for gentleness beneath a harsh exterior.

Zacharias "Zach" Wrench is a Jewish boy evacuated to Little Weirwold. The son of theater actors, he is highly outgoing and dramatic. He actively seeks out friendship and brings a sense of joyful theatricality to the quiet rural village.

George is a local boy in Little Weirwold who attends the village school and sings in the church choir. He initially views the city evacuees with skepticism. He soon includes them in his social circle for outdoor activities and blackberry picking.

Carrie is a local girl and one of a set of twins. Unlike many girls her age in the village, she desires higher education. She actively studies to pass the entrance exam for the high school.

Ginny is a local girl in Little Weirwold. She participates in village social activities and local plays alongside her twin sister and the evacuee children.

Mrs. Hartridge is a teacher at the local school in Little Weirwold. She is expecting a baby and works to accommodate the sudden influx of evacuated children into her classroom. She notices William's academic gaps and places him in an appropriate learning environment.

Mrs. Fletcher is a vocal member of the Little Weirwold community who knits for the war effort. She pays close attention to neighborhood business. She quickly gossips about the sudden changes in Tom's behavior.

Sammy is Tom's pet dog. He is highly energetic, friendly, and deeply attached to his owner. Sammy provides an early example of Tom's capacity for care and affection.

Lucy is a six-year-old girl who lives on the farm where Tom collects his milk. She pays close attention to the new evacuees and participates in community events.

Dr. Little is the primary physician in Little Weirwold. He diagnoses malnutrition and provides medical advice regarding the evacuees who arrive in poor physical condition from the city.

Mrs. Little is the doctor's wife. She helps manage the influx of children by taking in an evacuee herself and ensuring he stays connected with his parents in London.

Miss Thorne serves as the local librarian and organizes the village's theatrical productions. She coordinates the Christmas play. She recognizes the dramatic skills of the new arrivals and recruits them for performances.

Mr. Fletcher is a local farmer and father in Little Weirwold. He participates actively in the village's wartime preparations, including digging shelters and organizing work parties.

Michael is one of the older Fletcher sons. Like many young men from the village, he enters military service as the war against Germany escalates.

Edward is a teenage son of the Fletcher family. He works alongside his father and brothers to prepare Little Weirwold for potential attacks by installing steel sheets and digging shelters.

Geoffrey is a war veteran who suffered severe physical injuries at Dunkirk, losing a leg and an ear. He lives quietly in a secluded cottage on the outskirts of the village. He focuses on his work as a painter and takes an interest in local art students.

Rachel is Tom's late wife, who died decades before the story begins. She was a creative woman who loved to paint. Her surviving art supplies serve as a bridge between Tom and his new ward.

William is Tom and Rachel's infant son who died of scarlet fever forty years prior to the events of the story. The grief of his loss fundamentally shaped his father's life.

David is Mrs. Hartridge's husband who leaves Little Weirwold to fight in the war. His absence deeply affects his pregnant wife.

Trudy is a young child living in the London apartment under the care of Mrs. Beech. Her presence heavily impacts the household dynamics and the expectations placed upon her older brother.

Mr. Stelton is a soft-spoken psychiatrist attached to the authorities in London. He evaluates children from troubled environments and determines institutional placements.