Pasha is a thoughtful 17-year-old living in a middle-class Tehran neighborhood. He holds a strong interest in literature and American films, though his parents expect him to travel to the United States to study engineering. In the flash-forward sequences set during the winter of 1974, he resides as a patient at Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital, recovering from severe memory loss and trauma. He struggles internally with his secret romantic feelings for his neighbor Zari, creating a deep sense of guilt due to her engagement to his mentor.

Ahmed is a 17-year-old boy described as tall, strong, and slender with hazel eyes. He uses humor, jokes, and mischievous behavior to cope with the difficulties of life under an oppressive political regime. He boldly pursues a romance with Faheemeh, openly confessing his feelings to her despite the physical retaliation he faces from her older brothers.

Born Ramin Sobhi, everyone in the alley calls him "Doctor." He is a political science major at the University of Tehran who reads banned Marxist literature and actively opposes the Shah's government. Since he was twelve years old, he has worked to support his parents after his father lost a hand in an industrial accident. He organizes underground political actions, including taping up posters of red roses to honor anti-regime rebels.

Zari is a young woman with distinctive blue eyes who lives next door to Pasha. She keeps a notebook filled with pencil sketches of her neighborhood and spends her free time reading literature. Although her parents arranged her engagement to Doctor, she feels restricted by his intense political focus and begins developing a mutual, unspoken attraction to Pasha.

Faheemeh is a teenage girl in the neighborhood whose parents initially arrange for her to marry a 26-year-old graduate working at the Agricultural Ministry. She locks herself in her room to protest the match. She returns Ahmed's affections and becomes a core member of the friend group that spends the summer sitting by the yard pool under the cherry tree.

Pasha's father is a former heavyweight boxing champion who now manages a team of forest rangers. He previously worked as a jungle guard in Mazandaran, where he protected nationalized forests and refused to take bribes from the wealthy. He teaches the neighborhood boys how to fight but demands they swear to a strict "fraternity of athletes" code, promising to use violence only for self-defense.

Pasha's mother practices herbal medicine, brewing dark liquids that Pasha compares to engine oil. She worries constantly about the physical safety of her son and his friends, fearing that boxing will make them violent and that political activism will draw the attention of the secret police. She strongly opposes her husband's plan to send Pasha to the United States.

Iraj is the neighborhood chess champion and a close companion to Pasha and Ahmed. He harbors a deep suspicion of Western interference, frequently sharing conspiracy theories about how the United States government spies on Iranian citizens. He is fiercely nationalistic and declares that he will never leave Iran.

Mr. Mehrbaan is Pasha's father's best friend from high school. The two men served in the Iranian army together, where Mr. Mehrbaan once saved Pasha's father from being shot by a confused guard. He was arrested by the secret police on his wedding night for corresponding with the Bolshevik party and spent 18 years in prison, where he sustained permanent physical injuries including a severe limp.

Mrs. Mehrbaan is the long-suffering wife of Mr. Mehrbaan. She spent nearly two decades waiting for her husband to be released from political prison, enduring immense psychological stress and loneliness. She views the Shah's regime and its Western backers with bitter resentment.

Keivan is Zari's six-year-old younger brother. He is energetic and frequently interrupts the older teenagers' private conversations. Pasha builds a doghouse for him to create an excuse to spend more time near Zari.

Soraya is Zari's beautiful cousin who lives in the conservative town of Qum. She strictly adheres to conservative religious practices and is never seen without her burqa, earning the approval of the older, traditional women in the neighborhood.

Initially referred to by Pasha as "Apple Face" due to her round, kind features, Dr. Sana is the psychiatrist treating Pasha at the Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital during the winter of 1974. She is a member of the Baha'i faith and faces religious persecution, leading her to plan an emigration to Australia with her husband and young daughter.

Mr. Sobhi lost his right hand in an industrial workplace accident and was subsequently fired without compensation despite 25 years of service. His poor treatment by his employers heavily influenced his son's communist political awakening.

Mrs. Sobhi is Doctor's mother. She suffers immense psychological distress over her son's anti-government activities and subsequent conflicts with the secret police. She spends her days asking guards for news of him, risking further retaliation.

Ahmed's grandmother is an elderly woman suffering from severe memory loss. In her youth, she was a headstrong atheist who became one of the first women in her town to stop wearing a chador. Now, she wanders the neighborhood constantly looking for her late husband.

Ahmed's mother is a deeply caring woman who frequently speaks of God's blessings. She serves as the primary caretaker for her increasingly confused mother and worries over Ahmed's rebellious tendencies in school.

Ahmed's father provides a stable presence in his son's life, though he appears less frequently than Ahmed's mother. He occasionally travels with Ahmed out of the city and helps coordinate with Pasha's father regarding the boys' safety.

Mr. Naderi is an ex-Olympic champion and the patriarch of Zari's family. He maintains a close friendship with Doctor's parents, which forms the basis for arranging the marriage between his daughter and Doctor.

Mrs. Naderi is Zari's mother. She keeps a watchful eye over her daughter's social interactions and strongly enforces the cultural expectations placed upon young women in Tehran. She relies heavily on prayer during times of crisis.

Mr. Kasravi is a wealthy landowner who owns sheep and cattle. He views the Shah's regime favorably, arguing that the country's modernization and prison systems are vast improvements over previous dynasties. Pasha's father introduces the boys to him specifically to expose them to pro-regime perspectives.

Mr. Gorji is an abusive teacher who physically slaps and insults students who receive low grades. He holds strict anti-Western views and later becomes the school's principal, where he implements autocratic rules and forcefully shaves Ahmed's head as a punishment.