Howard is an American-born playwright who rises to prominence as a central propagandist for the Third Reich in Germany. He considers himself a stateless person, claiming allegiance only to the private, romantic world he shares with his wife. Approaching his wartime role as a theatrical performance rather than an ideological duty, he develops a deeply fragmented sense of self to cope with the reality of his actions.

Bernard is an American serviceman whose post-war life falls short of his expectations, leaving him disappointed and bitter. He focuses his resentment entirely on Howard, casting himself as a righteous hero destined to destroy a villain. He uses this hatred to give his otherwise mundane life a sense of purpose and direction.

Helga's younger sister, Resi survives a traumatic wartime childhood that leaves her emotionally hardened and outwardly cynical. Despite claiming that nothing matters, she harbors a deep, fervent desire to believe in grand romantic ideals. She fixes her hopes on Howard, imagining him as the center of a perfect love story.

A painter who lives in the same New York apartment building as Howard after the war. He provides Howard with much-needed companionship during a period of intense isolation, encouraging the former playwright to return to his art and re-enter society.

A popular German actress and the daughter of Berlin's chief of police. She loves Howard deeply and accepts his public persona without question, serving as his primary emotional anchor during their early years together before she goes missing during a trip to entertain troops in Crimea.

An agent for the US War Department who recruits Howard for espionage work prior to America entering the war. He possesses a sharp understanding of human psychology, recognizing exactly how to use Howard's vanity and theatrical nature to secure his cooperation.

A former embalmer and the publisher of The White Christian Minuteman, an antisemitic hate paper. He is an enthusiastic admirer of Howard's wartime propaganda, operating with a terrifyingly sincere belief in his own white supremacist ideologies.

The elderly former leader of the German American Bund who openly supported the Third Reich during the war. Despite his failing physical health, he remains dedicated to organizing new white nationalist youth groups in America.

A defrocked Catholic priest working as Lionel Jones's secretary. He actively uses Howard's past broadcasts to fuel his own campaigns of religious and racial persecution.

Known as The Black Fuehrer of Harlem, he works for Jones despite opposing his racial views. He maintains this contradictory alliance because he shares the group's foundational belief in the necessity of violent social revolution.

The chief of the Berlin police and father to Helga and Resi. He approaches his duties with a chilling bureaucratic detachment, attempting to administer his version of fairness while remaining entirely complicit in the atrocities of the Nazi regime.

A Jewish doctor and Auschwitz survivor who lives in the same New York apartment building as Howard. He is exhausted by the trauma of the past and prefers to look forward rather than interrogate the history of his neighbor.

An Auschwitz survivor living with her son in Greenwich Village. She is highly observant and quickly grows suspicious of Howard's evasive answers regarding his wartime activities.

A historical figure and major organizer of the Holocaust imprisoned near Howard. He demonstrates an unnerving lack of personal guilt, firmly maintaining that he was merely following orders without applying his own moral judgment.

A young Jewish prison guard in Jerusalem who works on archaeological excavations. He possesses a deep fascination with ancient history but remains remarkably ignorant of recent Nazi atrocities.

A Jewish man who joined the Hungarian SS during the war to distance himself from victims he despised for their perceived weakness. He operates on deep-seated internalized hatred, aggressively seeking to separate himself from the oppressed.

A prison guard who survived the horrors of the war by entirely turning off his emotional responses. He performs all tasks, from packing luggage to assisting in executions, with exactly the same level of total detachment.

A Russian soldier who finds Howard's pre-war manuscripts in Berlin. He translates the writings and claims them as his own, achieving massive popularity before facing consequences for his own original work.