A cosmopolitan woman who relocates from New York to the Netherlands following the death of her father. She works as a language interpreter at the World Court, a demanding job that requires her to convey the emotional subtleties of accused war criminals. Fluent in multiple languages, she is highly observant but keeps her own emotions tightly guarded. She struggles with feelings of displacement and a passive tendency to let events happen to her rather than asserting her own desires.

A Dutch man who forms a new relationship with the narrator shortly after separating from his wife. He comes from an established background and lives in a lavish childhood apartment that still holds his estranged family's belongings. He is affectionate but often leaves the narrator guessing about his true intentions and the actual status of his marriage.

A Serbian Ethiopian curator working at the Mauritshuis Museum. Having recently moved from London, she aggressively puts down roots by purchasing an apartment in a gentrifying neighborhood. She is socially active and frequently initiates events that pull the narrator out of her isolation.

The former leader of a West African country, currently on trial at the World Court for inciting genocide and war crimes. He is charismatic and completely unrepentant, treating the judicial proceedings as a theatrical performance for his supporters. He expertly manipulates language and attention to maintain power even while in custody.

A local antique bookshop owner in The Hague. He survives a violent, seemingly random mugging outside Jana's apartment that leaves him walking with a cane. Despite being the victim of a brutal crime, his smug and prickly personality frequently puts others on edge, and he claims to have total amnesia regarding the attack.

A prominent defense attorney operating at the World Court. He is a physically imposing and abrasive man who leverages personal secrets to unnerve those around him. He represents high-profile war criminals, keeping his professional life entirely separate from the inappropriate behavior he displays at social events.

Adriaan's estranged wife. Though she is physically absent for much of the early story, her lingering photographs and personal items dominate Adriaan's apartment. She is a decisive, commanding woman whose sudden departure creates the primary conflict in Adriaan's life.

An art history professor and the twin sister of Anton de Rijik. She co-parents her two children with her ex-husband and relies on her brother to act as a father figure. She struggles with insomnia and experiences deep anxiety over the political climate and her brother's violent attack.

The Head of the Language Services Section at the World Court. She is a pragmatic and efficient supervisor who has successfully made the Netherlands her permanent home. She values the narrator's skills and actively attempts to recruit her for a full-time position.

A highly skilled interpreter at the Court who is pregnant and preparing for maternity leave. She acts as a guide to the narrator, sharing her own past experiences of feeling psychologically compromised by the intimate act of translating for charismatic war criminals.

An energetic, theatrical English interpreter who works alongside the narrator. He provides procedural warnings and context for the upcoming testimonies.

A high-profile detainee accused of severe religious persecution and gender-based violence. He is prideful and dismissive, instantly taking offense when his rights are read to him in French rather than his native Arabic.

A young woman from a West African village who survived a brutal massacre. She provides clear and courageous testimony about the murder of her family, cutting through the theatricality of the courtroom and profoundly affecting the interpreters.

The narrator's mother, who relocates to Singapore following the death of her husband. She provides the narrator with a distant sense of grounding and holds the family's historical memory, recalling past trips that the narrator herself has forgotten.

Anton de Rijik's wife. She is frequently out of town, leaving her husband to attend social functions alone.