Carolyn is an American poet traveling through the Republic of El Salvador during a period of intense political unrest. Acting as a hybrid journalist and poet, she visits a fortified home to observe the local military authorities. She maintains a quiet, detached demeanor during an increasingly tense dinner, carefully recording the details of luxury and underlying violence around her.

The Colonel is a powerful military official in El Salvador who wields absolute authority over his household and region. He enjoys a life of extreme luxury, eating rack of lamb and commanding servants, funded by a regime of political suppression. His polite hospitality gives way to aggressive outbursts, demonstrating how his comfortable domestic life relies on brutal force.

An El Salvadoran man who serves as Carolyn's guide through the politically turbulent country. He understands the extreme danger the military poses to civilians and visitors alike. When the evening's conversation turns dark, he uses eye contact to instruct his companion to stay completely silent.

The Colonel's spouse functions quietly in the background of the heavily fortified home, clearing away the dishes after the meal. Her presence in the narrative is defined entirely by her domestic duties and her subservience to her husband's absolute authority.

The Colonel's daughter lives a life of sheltered privilege. While the home is surrounded by violent class conflict and fortified with glass-embedded walls, she engages in leisurely activities, completely removed from the source of her family's wealth.

The Colonel's son enjoys the safety and affluence provided by his father's military rank. He exits the narrative early in the evening to pursue his own entertainment, showing no concern for the heavily armed environment or the political tensions brewing at the dinner table.

A servant employed in the military official's household. She fetches items like green mangos, salt, and bread for the dinner guests. Her servitude to the wealthy family physically demonstrates the extreme economic inequality tearing the country apart.