Stephen is a 20-year-old Chinese student and oil painter. He travels to his family's beach house in Tarumi, Japan, to rest and regain his strength after a bout of tuberculosis. Separated from his friends and the escalating war in Canton, he uses art and his journal to document his daily life. The quiet isolation of the village forces him to adapt to a slower, more observant way of living.

Matsu is a gray-haired man in his sixties who cares for the Chan family's beach house. He is a quiet, brusque worker who values physical labor and gardening over conversation. He maintains a solitary existence, focusing entirely on tending the beautiful grounds around the home and ensuring Stephen has what he needs to recover.

Sachi is a former Tarumi resident who now lives in the mountain leper colony of Yamaguchi. She wears a black veil over her face to cover the physical scars left by her illness. Despite her affliction, she maintains an aura of grace and spends her days meticulously tending to dry stone gardens.

Ba-Ba is Stephen's bespectacled, affectionate father. He works as an import-export businessman and maintains residences in both China and Japan. He strongly values Western business customs, even giving his children Christian names, and worries that his son's interest in painting distracts from practical career pursuits.

Mah-mee is Stephen's mother, a traditional woman who manages the family household in Hong Kong. She enjoys playing mah-jongg with her friends and directing the house servants. The escalating war makes her highly anxious about her family's safety across different borders.

Kenzo owns the local teahouse in Tarumi and supplies Matsu with difficult-to-find groceries like bacon. He grew up alongside Matsu and Sachi. He chose to remain in the village to care for his sick parents rather than moving to a larger city for better opportunities, making him a fixture of the local community.

Penelope, affectionately called Pie, is Stephen's twelve-year-old sister. She is intelligent and feisty, keeping Stephen updated on family matters through lively letters while he recovers in Tarumi. She loves Shirley Temple dresses and is eager to experience the adult world.

Keiko is a confident, waist-length-haired teenager living in Tarumi. She shows a friendly curiosity toward Stephen, approaching him on the beach despite the political tensions between their respective nations.

King is Stephen's university classmate and close friend. He stays in touch via delayed letters, providing Stephen with crucial news regarding the Japanese invasion of China and the chaotic situation back at Lingnan University.

Tomoko is Matsu's deceased younger sister. Her memory lingers over the older generation of Tarumi residents, representing a tragic loss from their youth that shaped the adults they became.

Fumiko is Matsu's older sister who left Tarumi to live in Tokyo with her husband. She maintains contact with Matsu through the mail and occasionally visits the village for festivals.

Ching is the dedicated household servant for the Chan family in Hong Kong. She manages the daily practicalities of raising the children and serves as Stephen's primary nurse during the height of his fever.

Anne is Stephen's older sister. She attends school away from the main family home in Hong Kong and occasionally reacts dramatically to wartime disruptions, such as fainting during a blackout.

Henry is Stephen's younger brother. He spends his time studying at school in Macao, keeping him largely removed from the immediate tensions of the family home in Hong Kong.

Hiro is an older, fingerless resident of Yamaguchi. He knows Matsu well from the early days of the village's construction and maintains a dry sense of humor about his situation.

Michiko is an early resident of Yamaguchi and a former pearl diver. She provided essential care and wisdom to new arrivals suffering from illness, acting as a stabilizing force in the isolated community.

Mika is Keiko's younger, shorter sister. She accompanies Keiko on walks along the shore but is much shyer around strangers than her older sibling.