Eva is introduced as an elderly widow, but her story quickly flashes back to her youth as a 23-year-old Jewish university student in 1942 Paris. Driven by an intense need to protect her family, she utilizes her artistic talents to forge identity documents. She possesses a deep love of literature, a trait she inherited from her father, which ultimately inspires her to record the true identities of rescued children in a coded book.

Rémy is a young, daring Catholic forger working with the French resistance. He possesses a passionate personality and an unyielding commitment to fighting the German occupation. It is his idea to use a complex mathematical code inside an old religious text to safely log the real names of the children they rescue.

Eva's mother is a Polish immigrant to France who relies heavily on her husband, Leo. Following his sudden arrest, she sinks into a state of severe denial and depression. She struggles to adapt to their refugee status in Aurignon and frequently criticizes Eva's involvement with the Catholic resistance members.

A young Catholic priest at the Église Saint-Alban, Père Clément serves as a primary liaison for the underground network. He transforms his quiet church library into a secret forgery operation. He operates strictly on his moral convictions, choosing to risk his life to save Jewish refugees rather than remain a passive observer.

Joseph is a childhood friend of Eva's who studies literature at the Sorbonne. He later resurfaces in Aurignon as Gérard Faucon, a highly placed leader in the French underground. He uses his charm and established connection with Eva to draw her deeper into the network's operations.

Eva's father is a respected Polish immigrant and typewriter repairman. He instills a profound appreciation for literature in Eva. His early arrest and deportation to Auschwitz serve as the catalyst for Eva's flight from Paris and her subsequent dedication to forging documents for others.

The short, spiky-haired proprietress of an Aurignon boardinghouse, Madame Barbier is a Russian immigrant who quickly sees through Eva's initial false papers. Having lost her own husband and son to the conflict, she actively supports the underground network by housing refugees and connecting them with Père Clément.

Erich is a young, blond German officer stationed in France. His presence in the town initially terrifies Eva, especially when she catches him meeting with the local priest. His actual role in the town's operations adds a complex layer to the resistance network's survival strategies.

This group of local women forms the backbone of the resistance's support system. Madame Grémillon runs a brothel that overcharges German officers to fund the underground; Madame Noirot supplies Eva with specialized art pens from her bookstore; Madame Travère hides Jewish children in her home; and Madame Trintignant operates a bakery that doubles as a safe meeting point.

A beautiful 26-year-old forger from southeast of Aurignon, Geneviève is brought in to assist Eva as the demand for false documents increases. Having lost her entire family to the war, she approaches her illegal work with the fearlessness of someone who has nothing left to lose.

A middle-aged French woman living in the same Parisian apartment building as the Traube family. She holds strong anti-Semitic views and immediately aligns herself with the occupying forces, taking advantage of the mass arrests to improve her own living situation.

Eva's 35-year-old son living in the United States in 2005. He is a practical, career-focused man who worries about his mother's advancing age and cognitive health. He grows up completely unaware of Eva's wartime heroism or her true cultural heritage.

A German librarian working to return books looted by the Nazis to their rightful owners. He discovers the heavily coded *Epitres et Evangiles* and becomes fascinated by its hidden messages, eventually assisting Eva in decoding the names preserved within its pages.

Leo Traube's employer at the police station. While he is unwilling to take the direct risk of forging documents for Eva's family himself, he secretly provides her with blank identity cards and points her toward the underground network in Aurignon.

A precocious six-year-old Jewish girl waiting for forged transport documents. She uses literature as a coping mechanism, comparing her eventual journey to Switzerland to the yellow brick road, which deeply affects Eva's commitment to the cause.