Nunez is an enterprising mountaineer from the countryside neighboring Quito, Ecuador. Stranded in a sequestered valley populated entirely by people who are blind, he initially assumes his ability to see will easily allow him to rule over them. He soon discovers that the community has no concept of sight, rendering his perceived superiority useless and forcing him to submit to their established social hierarchy. He is assigned to manual labor as a serf, which begins his difficult process of cultural assimilation.

Medina-saroté is a young woman living in the isolated valley and the youngest daughter of a local master. Unlike the other women in her community who are favored for their smooth faces, she possesses a clear-cut face with eyelashes, which falls outside local beauty standards but attracts Nunez. She enjoys listening to his fanciful descriptions of the visual world, even though she lacks the physical context to truly understand what he means.

Yacob is a master within the valley's community and represents the authority of the collective. When Nunez willingly performs manual labor as his worker, Yacob treats him with kindly approval. He represents the established social structure of the valley and acts as a strict traditionalist when evaluating Nunez's worthiness as a citizen and potential family member.

The Lost Settler is a historical figure in the lore of the valley. He originally leaves his home to seek a religious cure for his people's collective blindness, but a sudden geological disaster prevents his return. He spends the rest of his life living among outside miners, carrying a bar of pure silver without understanding its monetary value, and spreading the legend of the earthly paradise he left behind.

Pedro is a blind resident of the valley. During Nunez's early attempts to prove the superiority of sight, Nunez uses Pedro as a test subject, predicting where he will walk next. Pedro subverts this prediction by suddenly changing direction, thereby reinforcing the community's belief that Nunez's claims about sight are nonsensical.