Dodd is a burly, methodical, and highly skilled private in the famed British Rifle Brigade. Stranded behind enemy lines in Portugal, his sole focus is crossing the war-torn countryside to reunite with his regiment. He is a pragmatic and resilient soldier who uses his advanced weaponry and tactical training to harass the occupying French forces along his journey.

Godinot is a French sergeant in charge of a squad of raw recruits in the Fourth Battalion. He cares about his men and endures the same severe hunger and misery they do, but he often masks his insecurities with boasting. He attempts to maintain order and survive while hunting the elusive British sniper attacking his unit.

Bernardino is a teenage Portuguese soldier who helps Dodd traverse the dangerous, French-occupied region. He is energetic and enthusiastic, though sometimes naive about the grim realities of the war. Despite a language barrier, he develops a mutual respect for the disciplined English rifleman.

A quiet, slow-moving Portuguese irregular armed with a knife and a musket. Bearing the heavy grief of his country's destruction and his family's suffering, he proves to be a capable asset when he joins forces with Dodd and Bernardino.

An orphaned, intellectually disabled Portuguese boy dressed in strange rags. He briefly accompanies Dodd through the harsh terrain, showing a cheerful willingness to endure the cold and rain despite the utter devastation of his homeland.

An older, resolute Portuguese woman who firmly controls the meager food caches for the mountain fighters. She is fiercely protective of their resources and openly contemptuous of the men's demands for larger rations.

The commander of a group of Portuguese irregulars operating in the mountains. He represents the organized local resistance against the French invaders and provides Dodd with crucial assistance to continue his journey.

The decisive commander of the British army divisions fighting in the Peninsular War. His strategies and defensive fortifications shape the harsh conditions experienced by all soldiers on the ground.

A French private in Sergeant Godinot's squad. He becomes deeply frustrated by the endless guerrilla attacks and takes it upon himself to mold silver bullets to hunt their enemy.

The last surviving raw recruit in Sergeant Godinot's detachment. He receives an assignment to help construct a pontoon bridge at Santarem, a duty he finds preferable to endless marching.

A French adjutant sergeant experienced in ruthless interrogation tactics. He focuses entirely on securing resources for the starving French Fourth Battalion.

An elderly Portuguese man taken prisoner by French foragers. He faces harsh interrogation as the occupying troops desperately seek hidden food supplies.

A French general overseeing the desperate and difficult construction of a pontoon bridge across the Tagus River. He expects strict obedience from the exhausted soldiers under his command.

A popular British colonel in the 95th Regiment who knows all his men by name. He leads his troops with a mix of strict discipline and personal care.