Salma is the matriarch of the middle-class Yacoub family. Originally from the bustling port city of Jaffa, she relocates her family to Nablus following the 1948 Nakba. She pines for her ancestral home and finds solace in her devout Islamic faith and Palestinian cultural traditions. She is a strong, loving mother who worries deeply about the safety and future of her children in a precarious political landscape.

Alia is Salma's youngest daughter. She possesses a fiery, independent, and outspoken personality. She prefers modern Western and Egyptian trends over traditional customs and is fiercely devoted to her husband, Atef. As political conflict forces her family into new locations like Kuwait City, she struggles to adjust to life in exile and constantly longs for the familiar cities of her youth.

Mustafa is Salma's contemplative and politically active son. Working as a mathematics teacher in Nablus, he is deeply invested in the cause of Palestinian self-determination and organizes with a local group of politically-minded men. Despite his powerful public speaking abilities, he develops a growing belief that words alone will not secure his people's freedom.

Atef is a thoughtful, scholarly man and the husband of Alia. He shares a profoundly close bond with his best friend and brother-in-law, Mustafa, with whom he discusses the future of Palestine. Following the outbreak of regional conflict, he struggles deeply with trauma and survivor's guilt. He finds his primary source of stability in his love for his children, focusing his energy on providing them a calm and measured upbringing.

Riham is the youngest daughter of Atef and Alia, characterized by her quiet, scholarly nature. Unlike her more modern, outgoing mother and sister, Riham feels shy and out of place among her fashionable peers in Amman. She finds comfort in order, routine, and a devout dedication to Islam, forging a deep connection with her grandmother Salma over their shared traditional values.

Souad is the spirited and intractable daughter of Alia and Atef. As a teenager and young woman, she is fiercely independent, modern, and rebellious, strongly mirroring her mother's own fiery temperament. She chafes against parental expectations and relocates to Paris to study textiles and painting, drawn to the city's cosmopolitan freedom during the Gulf War.

Manar is the daughter of Souad and Elie, raised primarily in the United States and Lebanon. Possessing a complex blend of Palestinian and Lebanese heritage, Manar embodies the younger generation of the diaspora who have never lived in Palestine. She is intellectually curious about her family's history and actively engages in political activism surrounding Palestinian rights.

Karam is the only son of Atef and Alia. He serves as a quieter presence in the family dynamic during his youth. He eventually moves to the United States to study architecture and build a life in Boston with his wife, Budur, though he remains connected to his siblings and extended family through annual summer gatherings in Beirut.

Widad is the oldest daughter of Salma and Hussam. Married to a man who took her to Kuwait to ensure her safety, Widad has established a stable, comfortable life in Kuwait City. Her social circle and domestic lifestyle provide a sharp contrast to the vivacity her younger sister Alia prefers.

Elie is a worldly and somewhat verbose man who has lived in Paris on and off for his entire life. He represents a cosmopolitan lifestyle that initially appeals to Souad, though their eventual marriage is marked by emotional detachment and growing friction over their differing needs.

Budur is Karam's intellectually driven wife. She lives with him in Boston and prioritizes her academic studies, a choice that occasionally puts her at odds with her more traditional mother-in-law, Alia.

Linah is the daughter of Karam and Budur. Raised in Boston, she experiences her diasporic identity primarily during family summers in Lebanon. She observes the adult world's anxieties about regional conflict from a child's sheltered perspective, sneaking out with her cousins while the adults anxiously watch the news.

Abdullah is the son of Riham and her physician husband. Growing up in Amman, he becomes a fierce critic of Western influence and embraces anti-Western political movements. He displays a fervent nationalism that reminds his extended family of his great-uncle Mustafa.

Priya is an Indian domestic worker employed by Atef and Alia for over a decade. She becomes a central pillar of their household in Kuwait City, illustrating the broader economic realities of migrant labor in the Arab world while providing stability to the Yacoub family's daily routine.

Imam Bakri is a young religious leader originally from Haifa. His family was terrorized by Israeli soldiers, driving his impassioned advocacy for Palestinian nationalism. His fiery speeches at the local mosque profoundly influence Mustafa's political awakening.

Aya is an impoverished, working-class woman who shares a secret relationship with Mustafa in Nablus. Because of their differing social and economic backgrounds, Mustafa keeps their relationship hidden from his middle-class family.

Omar is a friend of Mustafa in Nablus. He participates in the local gatherings of politically-minded men who meet for coffee and shisha to discuss the occupation and the future of Palestine.

Hussam is Salma's late husband and the patriarch of the family. He initially resisted leaving their orange groves in Jaffa during the 1948 Nakba before realizing they had to flee to ensure his family's survival.

Zain is the son of Souad and Elie, and brother to Manar. He grows up balancing his life in the West with his family's deep roots in the Middle East, participating in childhood antics with his cousins during their extended summers in Lebanon.

Bassam is a local boy in Amman who catches Riham's attention. Riham harbors a quiet crush on him but feels too shy to discuss her feelings openly with her more experienced cousins.

Lara is one of Riham's teenage cousins living in Amman. She is loud, modern, and open about her interest in boys, holding dreams of becoming a singer and living abroad. Her bold personality makes Riham feel increasingly shy and out of place.

Mira is another of Riham's teenage cousins in Amman. Like Lara, she is bold, puts henna in her hair, and openly discusses boys, contributing to Riham's feelings of social inadequacy during her summer visits.

Gabe is Manar's boyfriend in Manhattan. He is the father of her unborn child, and they agree to marry shortly before Manar takes her meaningful trip to Palestine.

Mimi is Souad's aunt who lives in Paris. She agrees to look after Souad, allowing the rebellious teenager to finally secure her parents' permission to study arts abroad.