Marwan is a young Muslim boy, estimated to be between four and eight years old, whose life frames the narrative. He is an innocent, adaptable, and trusting child who finds opportunities for play even in the wreckage of a bombed city. Due to his young age, he struggles to remember the peaceful, vibrant Syria of his early childhood, knowing only the shadow of recent conflict.

The unnamed narrator is an adult Muslim man fleeing the Syrian civil war with his young son. He is deeply observant and closely tied to his memories of the natural beauty of Homs before the war. Driven by a desperate need to protect his child, he relies on a father's reassuring tricks to calm Marwan, even as he privately struggles with immense fear and a feeling of powerlessness against the vast sea.

Marwan's mother is a deeply felt presence in the family's life, associated with peaceful memories of walking around Clock Tower Square and exploring the countryside. Though she is physically absent from the group on the beach, her memory provides spiritual and emotional comfort. The narrator actively quotes her reassuring words to soothe their son in the present.

Alan Kurdi is a three-year-old boy who represents the real-life tragedy inspiring the narrator's prayer. Like Marwan, he originates from Syria and faces the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea. His inclusion connects the fictional narrative to the factual reality of the global refugee crisis.

He is the owner of the farmhouse where the narrator grew up. His farm serves as the setting for the narrator's most cherished, peaceful memories of a vibrant and safe Syria.