Leda is a 47-year-old divorced professor of English literature originally from Naples but living in Florence. She takes a solitary summer vacation on the Ionian coast after her two adult daughters move to Canada. Instead of feeling lonely, she experiences a sense of freedom that clashes with societal expectations of maternal devotion. She is observant, highly educated, and deeply affected by memories of her own difficult childhood and early years as a parent.

Nina is a 23-year-old Neapolitan woman vacationing with her husband's large family. She initially appears entirely devoted to her two-year-old daughter, Elena, spending hours playing methodical games with the child's doll on the beach. Beneath her polished appearance, she feels suffocated by the demands of parenting and the lack of personal opportunities available to her.

Rosaria is Nina's 42-year-old sister-in-law. Pregnant with her first child, she carries herself with pride and frequently offers unsolicited parenting help with her niece, Elena. She embodies the loud, traditional Neapolitan culture that Leda specifically moved away to escape.

Gino is a 22-year-old law student who works as an attendant at the coastal bathhouse. He assists vacationers with their umbrellas and maintains the beach area. Polite and observant, he harbors a quiet infatuation with Nina and occasionally chats with Leda about the beachgoers.

Giovanni is the 69-year-old caretaker of the apartment building where Leda rents her summer flat. A grandfather with a nostalgic streak, he frequently seeks out conversation and tries to present a charming, flirtatious image to impress his local friends.

Bianca is Leda's 24-year-old eldest daughter, currently pursuing a science career in Toronto near her father. As a child, she sought her mother's attention and shared Leda's physical grace. Their relationship carries historical distance caused by Leda's temporary absence during her early childhood.

Marta is Leda's 22-year-old youngest daughter, who also relocated to Canada. Her birth was physically difficult for Leda, creating early friction between them. As an adult, she is highly talkative and tends to focus phone conversations strictly on her own daily problems without inquiring about her mother.

Elena is Nina's two-year-old daughter. She structures her beach days entirely around her favorite doll, Nani, treating the toy as if it were a real infant. She relies heavily on her mother's constant participation in her imaginative play and becomes highly distressed when her routine is broken.

Tonino is Nina's husband and a member of the extensive Neapolitan family. He spends minimal time participating in the daily beach routines, leaving Nina to manage their young daughter alone among his loud, imposing relatives.

Gianni is Leda's ex-husband and the father of her two daughters. During their marriage, he successfully advanced his own career while leaving the bulk of the domestic and parenting responsibilities to Leda, a dynamic that ultimately contributed to the fracturing of their relationship.

Brenda is an English backpacker from Leda's past. Free-spirited and intellectually curious, she expressed genuine interest in Leda's academic writing. She provided Leda with a rare moment of intellectual validation outside of her identity as a mother, inspiring her to seek fulfillment.

Lucilla is a woman from Leda's past who accompanied Leda's family on a beach holiday. Without the actual responsibilities of parenting, she enthusiastically entertained Bianca and Marta, unintentionally highlighting Leda's own maternal exhaustion and causing feelings of resentment.

Hardy is a prominent literature scholar who cited Leda's work at a London academic conference. His professional acknowledgment provided Leda with a crucial sense of individual identity and success apart from her family.

Corrado is an older man married to Rosaria, expecting their first child together. He is a peripheral member of the large Neapolitan family vacationing on the Ionian coast.