Miss Brill is a middle-aged, unmarried English woman living in a French city. She works as an English teacher and reads to an elderly invalid man. To combat her deep isolation, she relies on her vivid imagination and weekly visits to the park, where she eavesdrops on strangers and secretly views herself as an essential actress in a grand, world-wide play. She intentionally focuses on the beauty around her to keep her melancholy at bay.

A wealthy, well-dressed youth visiting the park with his girlfriend. Though Miss Brill casts him as a hero in her internal play, his arrogant demeanor and short temper threaten the fragile peace of those sharing the public space. Frustrated by his romantic life, he directs his irritation at the vulnerable people around him.

A young, affluent woman spending Sunday in the park with her boyfriend. She deflects her partner's frustrations with thoughtless mockery, treating the older park attendees with flippant disdain. Her casual insults shatter the pleasant illusions of those sitting nearby.

A faded fox fur piece with glass eyes and a squashed nose that Miss Brill stores in a box. To Miss Brill, the necklet is far more than an accessory. She treats it as a little rogue and an intimate companion, channeling her need for affection into maintaining and talking to the inanimate object.

An older woman wearing a worn ermine hat that matches her yellowish complexion. She attempts to present a cheerful, bright demeanor when interacting with a male acquaintance in the park. Her forced gaiety and subsequent rejection serve as a direct parallel to Miss Brill's own fragile social standing.

A man smoking a cigarette in the park who interacts briefly with the woman in the ermine toque. He brutally rebuffs her cheerful greeting by blowing smoke in her face and marching away, earning the mental nickname 'The Brute' from the observing Miss Brill.

An elderly, bedridden man to whom Miss Brill regularly reads. He serves as one of her few actual human connections, though she primarily views him through the lens of her imagination, picturing him as an impressed audience member for her grand internal drama.

A park-goer whom Miss Brill previously observed complaining at length about her need for spectacles. Her stubborn refusal to wear glasses provokes intense annoyance in Miss Brill, who listens closely to the mundane details of the woman's marital bickering.

A patient man who spends his time in the park attempting to offer logical solutions to his wife's complaints about needing spectacles. His practical suggestions are constantly rebuffed, forming a domestic scene that fascinates the lonely Miss Brill.