Nico is an 11-year-old Jewish boy living in the coastal town of Salonika, Greece. Nicknamed "Chioni" (snow) for his absolute inability to tell a lie, he possesses a striking blond-haired, blue-eyed appearance that leads strangers to mistake him for a German child. His natural innocence makes him deeply vulnerable when Nazi forces occupy his town, leading him to trust the wrong authorities.

Fannie is a young Jewish girl from Salonika who harbors a childhood crush on her classmate Nico. She is thrust into horrifying circumstances when her community is uprooted by invading forces. Forced to rely on her instincts and the unexpected kindness of strangers, she fights to survive and document the history of her people.

Sebastian is Nico's older brother, a young man who struggles with feelings of jealousy over the attention his younger brother receives. Despite his internal conflicts, he deeply loves his family and harbors romantic feelings for Fannie. When the Nazis invade, Sebastian matures rapidly, using his wits to endure extreme brutality in the camps.

Udo is a ruthless and proud Nazi SS officer tasked with removing the Jewish population from Salonika. Driven by a twisted ideology and a desire to impress his superiors, he operates with calculating cruelty. He views deception as a valid tool for control and takes sadistic pleasure in breaking the spirits of his prisoners.

Personified throughout the narrative, Truth serves as the omniscient voice recounting the lives of the characters. Cast down from heaven by God for warning that humans would be false, Truth observes the unfolding horrors of the war. This narrator provides philosophical commentary on human nature and the devastating consequences of deception.

Lev is Nico and Sebastian's father, a pragmatic man who runs a smoke shop in Salonika. He strives to protect his family and maintain their dignity as discriminatory laws strip away their rights and property. In the camps, he repeatedly places his children and his aging father ahead of his own safety.

Lazarre is the wise and deeply religious grandfather of Nico and Sebastian. He serves as the family's spiritual anchor, teaching the children parables that shape their worldview. Even as their society collapses under the Nazi occupation, he attempts to maintain their faith and moral compass.

Gizella is a Hungarian seamstress who has already lost her husband to the war effort. She discovers a fleeing child and risks her own life to offer shelter and food. She provides a rare source of maternal warmth and safety in a perilous world, keeping dangerous secrets to protect the innocent.

Based on a real historical figure, Katalin is a famous, vocally anti-German Hungarian actress whose work is banned by the Nazi regime. She uses her wealth, charm, and influence to bribe officials and save Jewish children from execution. She exhibits immense courage under pressure, risking torture and death for her beliefs.

Yakki is a member of the Judenrat, the Jewish Council forced to follow Nazi orders in Salonika. Desperate to ensure his own survival, he works as a translator for the SS. His attempts to bargain for his life place him in a precarious moral position, illustrating the impossible choices forced upon the occupied population.

Papo is the patriarch of a Romani family living near the Greek border. Operating as a skilled document forger, he understands the extreme danger his family faces from the Nazis. He negotiates for survival through his illicit talents, passing on vital skills to those fleeing the regime.

Erich is a young Nazi soldier who encounters Nico sleeping rough. Unaware of the boy's true identity, he offers him money and inadvertently shares crucial information about the true destination of the transport trains.

Rivka is a young Jewish woman living in Salonika. She enters an arranged marriage with Sebastian just before the transport trains depart, following a rumor that married couples will receive preferential housing treatment from the occupying forces.