Will is an English journalist recovering from a shipwreck on the isolated island of Pala. Carrying heavy emotional baggage from his wife's recent death and a difficult childhood, he maintains a deeply cynical view of the world. Though he poses as a mere reporter, he secretly acts on behalf of an oil magnate seeking access to the island's untapped reserves. His interactions with the Palanese locals begin to challenge his deeply ingrained Western pessimism.

Susila is a Palanese psychologist and the widowed daughter-in-law of Dr. Robert. Using hypnosis and specialized therapy, she treats Will's physical pain while guiding him through his past emotional trauma. Despite grieving her husband Dugald's fatal climbing accident, she remains spiritually grounded and refuses to succumb to self-pity, offering Will a living example of Palanese resilience.

Dr. Robert MacPhail is a prominent physician and intellectual leader in Pala. Descended from the Scottish doctor who helped establish the island's utopian society, he treats Will's injuries while explaining local history. He balances scientific pragmatism with deep spiritual awareness, displaying remarkable grace and acceptance regarding his wife's terminal illness.

Murugan is the 17-year-old heir to the Raja's throne, raised heavily in Switzerland by his overprotective mother. He dismisses Palanese culture and traditions as backwards and primitive. Fascinated by consumer goods and Western industrialization, he eagerly anticipates his eighteenth birthday, when he can assume power and aggressively modernize the island's economy.

The Rani is the current monarch of Pala and Murugan's overprotective mother. Having spent considerable time in Europe, she openly disdains her own country's culture, governance, and spiritual practices. She actively seeks to negotiate away the island's oil rights for personal and political gain, paving the way for her son's eventual rule.

Lakshmi is Dr. Robert's wife. She suffers from terminal cancer but approaches her illness with profound spiritual peace. Described as a free spirit who kept her intellectual husband grounded in reality, she serves as a living example of the Palanese ideal regarding the acceptance of death.

Vijaya is a Palanese resident who works closely alongside Dr. Robert. He balances manual labor in the fields with his intellectual duties, embodying the island's philosophy of holistic living. He actively participates in the community's Mutual Adoption Club system.

Mary is Dr. Robert's young granddaughter. She quickly recognizes Will's injuries on the beach and stays with him, explaining the significance of the local mynah birds while her brother seeks medical help.

Tom is Dr. Robert's young grandson. Upon finding the injured English journalist on the shore, he immediately runs off to fetch his grandfather for medical assistance.

Bahu is an ambassador from the neighboring, militarized island of Rendang-Lobo. He assists the Rani in negotiating the capitalist oil deal and serves as a point of contact between Pala's rebellious royal family and foreign interests.

Radha is a young Palanese nurse who treats Will during his recovery. Through her conversations with the journalist, she explains the island's progressive approach to mental health, physical intimacy, and population control.

Colonel Dipa is the militaristic leader of the neighboring island of Rendang-Lobo. Though he operates primarily off-page, he actively cultivates Murugan's materialism by sending him consumer catalogs, hoping to groom the young heir into handing over Pala's sovereignty.

Joe Aldehyde is Will's capitalist employer back in England. He sends the journalist to secure lucrative drilling rights in Pala, representing the relentless push of Western corporate interests into unexploited territories.

Molly is Will's deceased wife. Her death in a car wreck during a rainstorm—shortly after Will announced their marriage was over—acts as the primary source of his overwhelming trauma and cynicism.

Shanta is Vijaya's wife. She demonstrates Palanese behavioral conditioning techniques to Will, showing how mothers train infants to associate physical contact with positive words to build lifelong empathy.

Ranga is Radha's boyfriend. He helps explain the island's unique cultural practices to Will, particularly their methods of birth control and sexual education.

Andrew MacPhail is Dr. Robert's Scottish grandfather. Originally a Calvinist who became a doctor, he traveled to Pala, cured the Old Raja's facial tumor using hypnosis, and subsequently co-founded the island's modern utopian society.