Lida is an eight-year-old Ukrainian girl from Verenchanka whose parents and grandmother were taken by the Soviets and Nazis. Captured and transported to a German work camp in a crowded cattle car, she claims to be thirteen to prove herself useful to her captors. She uses her mother's teachings about creating beauty to survive the harsh conditions and protect the other children in her barracks.

Larissa is Lida's younger sister, captured alongside her by the Gestapo. She is separated from Lida shortly after their capture and placed in a different group of children. Her safety and whereabouts remain Lida's primary motivation for surviving the brutal conditions of the work camp.

Luka is a boy from Kyiv who travels in the same cattle car as Lida. He understands the lethal reality of the work camps, having been captured once before. He immediately advises Lida to lie about her age and demonstrate a useful skill to avoid being sent to the hospital with the younger, disposable children.

Officer Schmidt is a ranking Nazi officer who runs the work camp with casual brutality. He enforces the racial hierarchy, sorting children by age and usefulness. He shows no hesitation in using violence or starvation to maintain absolute control over the Ostarbeiter laborers.

Zenia is a fourteen-year-old girl from Kyiv who travels to the work camp alongside Lida. She hides her Jewish identity to avoid immediate execution by the camp guards. She shares a bunk in Barracks 7 with Lida and relies on mutual support to endure the harsh daily routines.

Juli is a Hungarian political prisoner who receives slightly better treatment and food because Hungary is allied with Germany. She works in the camp hospital and holds grim knowledge about what happens to the youngest prisoners. She initially treats Lida coldly before they develop a close bond based on shared survival.

Natalia is a Polish prisoner who lives in the same barracks as Lida and Zenia. Though assigned a Polish badge, which grants slightly different privileges, she suffers alongside the others. She works closely with Lida when they are sent to industrial tasks in the city.

Inge is a thick, red-faced German woman who oversees the camp's laundry operations. She values hard work and recognizes Lida's exceptional sewing skills. She uses the young girl to mend frayed seams and alter stolen clothing sent by her husband on the front lines.

Nurse Astrid is a medical professional who provides care for patients recovering from wartime trauma. She focuses on helping individuals heal, offering gentle care, hygiene, and clean clothing to those who have suffered severe physical and emotional abuse.

Pani Zemluk is a teacher who offers guidance and education to displaced children. She understands the complex political realities of the Soviet Union and counsels her students on the dangers of revealing their true origins, warning them that returning home could result in further imprisonment.

Marika is a young girl from a village near Lida's home who travels on the same train to the German work camp. She becomes feverish and frail during the journey, struggling to stand or survive the brutal processing upon arrival at the camp courtyard.

Kataryna is a young prisoner who lies about her age to avoid being sorted with the useless children. She works alongside Lida and Zenia, facing dangerous daily tasks in a factory and seeking ways to subtly resist their captors.

Olesia is an eight-year-old girl from the Chernivets’ka region who is processed alongside Lida. When Officer Schmidt asks the youngest children to step forward, she complies, unaware of the camp's deadly expectations for those without useful labor skills.

Marta is a Ukrainian prisoner who is assigned to Lida's barracks. She wears a Polish "P" badge, which affords her slightly more privileges than the Ostarbeiter workers. She occasionally uses this status to barter handmade crafts for extra food.

Oksana is a Ukrainian girl who, like Marta, wears a Polish badge in the camp. She works to survive the grueling conditions and helps barter items to secure extra sustenance for the starving girls in her barracks.

Mary is a teenager whose harsh labor and starvation have physically aged her so much that Lida initially mistakes her for an old woman. She works in the camp's industrial assignments alongside the other girls, enduring heavy machinery and constant exhaustion.

Bibi is an older woman assigned to work in the same industrial facilities as Lida. She wears a wedding band that she is forced to remove during their dangerous work assembling munitions for the military.

Frau Zanger is a stylish, impatient German woman who oversees the transportation and initial assignment of the enslaved laborers. She escorts the girls through the bombed-out city streets to their hazardous factory workstations.

Sarah is a Jewish friend from Lida's home village. Lida frequently remembers her when witnessing the intense prejudice in the camp, recalling how her mother attempted to hide Sarah's family from the invading forces.