Hisham is an American-born British Libyan writer who returns to Libya in 2012, 33 years after his family went into exile. As a child, he attends an English boarding school under a pseudonym to hide his identity from regime agents. He spends decades seeking concrete information about his father's disappearance, combining personal grief with investigative rigor. His life is defined by a suspension of closure, driving his international campaign for answers.

Jaballa is a former Libyan army officer and diplomat who becomes a wealthy businessman and prominent opposition leader against the dictatorship. He funds resistance organizations and military training camps before his abduction by Egyptian secret police. Held in the notorious Abu Salim prison, he maintains his pride and cultural identity by reciting Bedouin poetry to other inmates. His unresolved disappearance haunts his family and anchors the memoir's central investigation.

Qaddafi is the autocratic dictator of Libya who maintains power through a vast security apparatus and extrajudicial violence. His regime systematically hunts exiled dissidents across Europe and employs enforced disappearances to silence domestic opposition. He shapes the violent political landscape that forces the Matar family into exile and orchestrates the terror campaigns that define their lives.

Senussi is Qaddafi's brother-in-law and the senior intelligence official for the Libyan regime. He operates as the architect of the state's covert violence and strategic deception. He personally addresses prisoners demanding better conditions, making false promises of medical care and reform to pacify them before orchestrating severe retaliation.

Seif is the Western-educated son of the Libyan dictator who presents himself as a political modernizer and reformer. He engages in protracted negotiations with Hisham regarding Jaballa's case, using the family's desperation as leverage to extract public relations concessions. His polished diplomatic image frequently clashes with the oppressive tactics he employs on his father's behalf.

Mahmoud is Jaballa's youngest brother, sharing a close, playful bond with his nephews during their childhood in Tripoli. Regime agents arrest him the same week as Jaballa, leading to a 21-year imprisonment in Abu Salim. He survives extreme isolation and preserves his humanity by unpicking a prison pillowcase to secretly write poems for his children.

Fawzia is Hisham's mother and the emotional center of the Matar family. During their years in exile, she manages the family's daily survival while her husband focuses on political activism. She quietly supports the relatives of other political prisoners, opening her home in Tripoli to house and cook for the mothers of detainees.

Izzo is Mahmoud's son and Hisham's younger cousin, growing up mostly without his imprisoned father. He studies civil engineering before leaving university to join the 2011 revolution as a frontline fighter. His transition from earnest student to combatant reflects the heavy toll the uprising exacts on Libya's youth.

Diana is Hisham's wife and a professional photographer who accompanies him on his emotional return to Libya. She provides quiet support throughout his international campaign for answers and his physical journey through his homeland. Her presence offers Hisham a vital connection to his life outside the shadow of political trauma.

Ziad is Hisham's older brother, who shares the heavy burden of their father's disappearance. He actively participates in the public campaign for answers, setting strict conditions during negotiations with Libyan officials. He returns to Libya during the height of the 2011 revolution, preceding Hisham's own homecoming.

Marwan is Hisham's cousin and a Benghazi judge. He transforms from a cautious prosecutor into an energetic human rights campaigner, helping to found the Libyan Judges' Organization. He enthusiastically acts as Hisham's local guide and publicist during his visit.

Hmad is Hisham's uncle and a former political prisoner who shares firsthand accounts of Abu Salim. He details the escalating tensions, the prisoner protests, and the deceptive negotiations conducted by intelligence officials. He relies on writing poetry in English to mentally survive his captivity.

Zaynab is Mahmoud's wife and the mother of Izzo and Hamed. She endures two decades of forced separation from her husband during his imprisonment. She anchors her household in Ajdabiya, baking traditional bread and maintaining family routines despite the surrounding conflict.

Muftah is an elderly relative and childhood friend of Jaballa who prefers the solitude of the desert with his camels. He repeatedly asks Hisham the same narrow questions about his health and family, reflecting a psychological stasis. He carries the trauma of witnessing a childhood tragedy involving Jaballa's older brother.

Hamza is a Libyan boy whose father works for the Qaddafi government. He forms a close friendship with Hisham, unaware of his true identity. Their bond highlights the complex ways political divisions intrude upon personal relationships among displaced citizens.

Marwan is an economics graduate from Benghazi who becomes inseparable from Izzo during the revolution. The two young men fight alongside each other in Misrata, sharing guard duties and navigating the perils of the frontlines together.

Hamed is Hisham's grandfather, an anti-colonial fighter who lives to be over 100 years old. He survives the Italian occupation with a bullet permanently lodged beneath his collarbone. His history of resistance deeply influences his son Jaballa's own political defiance.

Hamed is Mahmoud's older son, who joins the 2011 revolution to fight across Libya. He endures severe physical and emotional challenges during the conflict, fighting on the frontlines in Tripoli.

Al-Hawni is an older lawyer representing Seif al-Islam Qaddafi during negotiations with the Matar family. He acts as an intermediary, dropping subtle hints about the futility of Hisham's search while formally maintaining the regime's ambiguous stance.

Ismail is Seif al-Islam's secretary and bureaucratic enforcer. He demands that Hisham publicly credit the Libyan regime and clear them of responsibility in the Egyptian press before any files on his father are released.