Vianne is a quiet, cautious schoolteacher living in the French countryside town of Carriveau. Orphaned emotionally at a young age following her mother's death and her father's subsequent withdrawal, she relies heavily on the peaceful life she has built with her husband and young daughter. She prefers to avoid conflict and maintain domestic order, making her highly anxious about the impending German occupation.

Isabelle is Vianne's 18-year-old rebellious sister who aggressively chafes against traditional gender roles. Having grown up feeling abandoned by her father and older sister, she constantly seeks affection and a sense of purpose. She idolizes the historical nurse Edith Cavell and feels a desperate, immediate need to actively resist the invading German forces.

Julien is Vianne and Isabelle's estranged father who runs a bookstore in Paris. Traumatized by his experiences fighting in World War I, he retreated from his daughters emotionally after his wife's death and sent them away to be raised by others. He appears cold, cynical, and indifferent to his children's desires for a relationship.

Gaëtan is a young communist who was released from prison when the French government fled the capital. He is determined to join the fight against the invading German forces and views the war with a pragmatic, hardened perspective. He recognizes the danger of forming attachments during a crisis.

Captain Beck is an officer in the German Wehrmacht. He maintains a polite, gentlemanly demeanor and frequently speaks of his own wife and child back in Germany. His courteous behavior creates an uncomfortable dynamic for the French family forced to host an enemy soldier in their sanctuary.

Rachel is Vianne's closest friend and neighbor in Carriveau. A foreign-born Jewish woman married to a Frenchman, she finds her position increasingly perilous as the German occupation enforces strict anti-Semitic laws throughout the town.

Von Richter is a cruel and authoritarian SS officer who takes control of the German forces in Carriveau later in the occupation. He openly relishes his power over the local population, using severe intimidation and violence to enforce his will and secure his personal comfort.

Sophie is Vianne and Antoine's eight-year-old daughter. She admires her rebellious Aunt Isabelle but is deeply affected by the harsh realities and deprivations of life under German occupation. The wartime conditions force her to mature much faster than her mother wishes.

Antoine is a postman in Carriveau and Vianne's childhood sweetheart. He provides the emotional foundation of his wife's life. Drafted into the French army right before the war begins, he leaves his wife and daughter behind as he goes to the front lines, eventually becoming a prisoner of war.

Paul is an elderly intellectual and former patron of Julien Rossignol's bookstore. He operates as a prominent member of a covert network in Paris, utilizing his connections to organize efforts against the occupying forces.

Anouk is a striking, serious woman heavily involved in the Paris resistance network. She helps orient new recruits and coordinates dangerous missions, serving as a steadying, disciplined influence in the underground movement.

Ari is the young son of Rachel and Marc de Champlain. Because of his Jewish heritage, his presence in Carriveau becomes increasingly perilous as the German occupation intensifies its discriminatory policies.

Henri is the young, charismatic son of a local innkeeper. As a communist and leader of the local anti-occupation efforts, he recruits willing townspeople for the covert distribution of propaganda.

Madame Babineau is an elderly, strong-willed Basque woman who habitually wears men's clothing. Having lost her husband and sons to previous conflicts, she eagerly opens her mountain home as a safe haven for those opposing the current regime.

Julien is Vianne's adult son, a practical American surgeon living in Oregon. He loves his mother deeply but is unaware of the full extent of her wartime history in France or the secrets surrounding his own family origins.

Marie-Therese is the mother superior of the local convent in Carriveau. She has been a long-time spiritual guide and friend to Vianne, offering sanctuary and quiet support when the local community faces crises.