Ludwik is a young university graduate in Poland battling his sexuality and his deep opposition to the communist system. Harboring intense internalized shame since childhood, he compartmentalizes his romantic desires and political beliefs to survive in a repressive society. He reads heavily as an escape, specifically connecting with James Baldwin's *Giovanni's Room*. After finishing an agricultural camp, he begins applying for a literature PhD while working out his feelings for his campmate Janusz.

Janusz is an attractive, ambitious university graduate who forms a secret romantic connection with Ludwik at a summer camp. Unlike Ludwik, Janusz feels little internal shame about his sexuality, though he hides it for pragmatic professional reasons. He acts with natural confidence and genuinely believes in the communist system. He hopes to build a successful career within the Party and eventually takes a job at the Office of Press Control, a move that creates ideological tension with Ludwik.

Hania is a stylish, well-connected young woman whose family holds significant power within the Polish United Workers' Party. She enjoys access to Western luxuries, such as foreign cars and expensive jewelry, that are completely out of reach for ordinary citizens. Despite representing the system Ludwik despises, she displays genuine kindness and cares for the people in her social circle.

Beniek is a Jewish boy who becomes Ludwik's first close friend and early romantic crush. He introduces Ludwik to Western music via records sent from relatives and unwittingly sparks Ludwik's first feelings of sexual desire. He and his family suddenly disappear from their apartment early in Ludwik's life, an event that catalyzes Ludwik's political awakening.

Marian Zalewski is an older man Ludwik encounters in a park during his youth. Following a brief sexual encounter, Marian provides Ludwik with a bleak outlook on life as a gay man in Poland, warning him that long-term love is impossible in their restrictive society. His cynical perspective heavily influences Ludwik's fears about his own future.

Karolina is Ludwik's close university friend who acts almost like a sister to him. She secretly provides him with banned literature and pushes his boundaries, once taking him to a gay bar. She works as a secretary but aspires to be a divorce lawyer, maintaining family connections in Chicago as a potential backup plan to escape Poland.

Maksio is Hania's twin brother and a beneficiary of his family's high status within the Party. He drives a black Mercedes and enjoys hosting gatherings at his family's extravagant country house. His lifestyle represents the hypocrisy of communist officials who indulge in Western luxuries while the general population struggles for basic necessities.

Pani Kolecka is an older widow who rents a room to Ludwik in a neighborhood that once housed the Warsaw Ghetto. She sleeps on her couch so he can have a private room. She struggles with the country's worsening economy, facing long queues and rising meat prices before falling severely ill.

Granny is Ludwik's grandmother, who helps raise him following his father's departure. She is fiercely protective and highly critical of the communist regime, often listening to Radio Free Europe in secret. Her anti-Soviet views help shape Ludwik's political beliefs from a young age.

Ludwik's mother raises him after his father abandons the family. She works at the Electricity Office and quietly opposes the communist government, secretly listening to Western radio broadcasts with her mother. She teaches Ludwik to swim before she passes away during his youth.

Professor Mielewicz is an academic who supports Ludwik's intellectual ambitions by encouraging him to submit a doctoral proposal. He warns Ludwik to select a politically acceptable thesis topic to survive the highly competitive application process, reflecting the academic restrictions of Soviet Poland.

Agata is Maksio's girlfriend who participates in the wealthy social circle. She accompanies the central group on their weekend excursion to the twins' country house, joining in their recreational activities such as gathering poppy stems for soup.

Comrade Leader Belka oversees the student agricultural work program where Ludwik and Janusz meet. He projects an imperious attitude that masks his underlying anger and weariness, demonstrating a duality Ludwik recognizes in many authority figures pretending to believe in the system.