The unnamed white narrator is a partner at a luxury-travel agency who financially supports a farm ten miles outside the city. He enjoys the tranquil country life, believing it provides a complete escape from the racial tensions of urban South Africa. He views his relationship with his Black employees as comfortably feudal, demonstrating a detached attitude toward their personal struggles. He values his wealth and convenience, initially resisting any disruption to his peaceful weekends.

Lerice is the protagonist's wife, a former aspiring stage actress who actively manages the couple's rural property. She operates with a high degree of empathy toward their Black employees, routinely caring for their children when they fall ill. Her emotional investment in the farm and its workers regularly frustrates her husband, highlighting a deep-seated disconnect in their marriage.

Petrus is a young Black farmhand working for the protagonist and Lerice outside Johannesburg. He acts as a quiet leader among the other employees and holds a deep respect for his cultural customs, particularly regarding family obligations. He mistakenly operates under the assumption that his white employers possess the ultimate power to resolve any bureaucratic problem.

An elderly man who makes a long journey from Rhodesia (modern Zimbabwe) to South Africa to honor his family. He carries the weight of grief and tradition, functioning as a patriarchal figure who strictly observes his cultural mourning rituals. He brings a sense of gravity and historical awareness to the younger generation on the farm.

A coarse, dull-witted police officer representing the city's political mindset and apartheid bureaucracy. He views the Black population strictly through the lens of a "master-race theory" and aggressively scrutinizes the protagonist's laissez-faire management of the farm employees. He openly mocks any suggestion of treating the workers with basic privacy.

A farm animal utilized by the employees to transport heavy items across the property. Patient and submissive, the animal aids the farmhands in their daily tasks and significant life events, maintaining a steady presence throughout the disruptions on the farm.

A young man from Rhodesia who travels to South Africa without authorization in search of work. He seeks refuge with his older brother on the protagonist's farm, hiding his presence to avoid the strict urban immigration authorities. His sudden illness forces the farm owners into an unavoidable confrontation with the city's bureaucracy.