Tony is a mild-mannered retiree looking back on his coming-of-age years in the 1960s. During his school days, he considers himself an average student, especially when compared to his highly intellectual peers. He prefers order and stability, which causes him to construct a clean, controlled narrative of his past. A strange legal letter regarding an inheritance eventually forces him to question his own memories and passive nature.

Veronica is Tony's independent, emotionally detached ex-girlfriend from an upper-middle-class background. She possesses a strong sense of self and refuses to conform to the expectations of the men around her. Her initial relationship with Tony involves distinct class tension, and her later actions become a source of enduring mystery for him.

Adrian is Tony's perceptive and highly intelligent schoolmate who goes on to attend Cambridge. He possesses a deep, questioning mind but struggles with feelings of isolation and detachment. He serves as an object of admiration and envy for Tony, casting a long shadow over Tony's life well after their school days end.

Sarah is Veronica's pragmatic, assertive mother. During Tony's youth, she makes him acutely aware of his lower-middle-class status through her confident demeanor. Years later, she unexpectedly leaves a mysterious bequest to Tony, serving as the catalyst for his investigation into the past.

Jack is Veronica's brother, an upper-middle-class man who views Tony with suspicion and snobbery. His presence reinforces the rigid British class distinctions of the era, making the young Tony feel profoundly inferior and out of place.

Colin is one of Tony's original school friends. He remains connected to the group's intersecting romantic lives over the years, eventually forming his own connection with Veronica after her relationships with Tony and Adrian end.

Alex is a schoolmate of Tony, Colin, and Adrian. He eventually serves as the messenger who delivers tragic news to the rest of the group concerning one of their own.

Margaret is Tony's ex-wife. She shares Tony's preference for a conventional, quiet lifestyle, and they live a relatively mundane existence together before eventually divorcing.

Susie is the daughter of Tony and Margaret. She lives in the United States and maintains only a distant, minimal relationship with her aging father.

Mrs. Finn is Adrian's mother. She converses with Tony during his retirement years, answering lingering questions about her son's past.