Isaac is a 58-year-old secular Jewish jeweler and gem dealer living in Tehran. Having built a prosperous life creating jewelry for Iran's elite, including the Shah's wife, his comfortable existence is shattered by the Islamic Revolution. Imprisoned on baseless suspicions of being a Zionist spy, he must endure severe interrogations while wrestling with his past choices and his emotional distance from his family.

Farnaz is Isaac's wife, a graceful and stylish woman who values art, beauty, and the memory of her country's culturally rich past. Accustomed to a life of luxury and high social status, she struggles with the severe restrictions imposed by the new regime. Following Isaac's disappearance, she must set aside her marital grievances to bravely search the city's prisons for him.

Parviz is Isaac and Farnaz's 20-year-old son, currently studying architecture in New York City. Cut off from his family's wealth due to the revolution and his father's imprisonment, he experiences a sudden fall into poverty. He works in a hat shop to survive and battles intense isolation, forcing him to confront his identity as a secular Jew living among strict Hassidic neighbors.

Shirin is the Amins' nine-year-old daughter. Previously sheltered and coddled, she is deeply unsettled by the sudden disappearance of her father and the intrusion of revolutionary guards into her home. Her vivid imagination and anxiety lead her to take risky, secretive actions, such as stealing government files, in a desperate attempt to protect those she loves.

Habibeh is the Amins' longtime Muslim housekeeper, originally hired off the street to save her from poverty. While she has spent years caring for the family, the revolution awakens her latent class resentment. Empowered by the shifting social order and her son's involvement in the new regime, she begins to challenge her previously unquestioned subservience.

Morteza is Habibeh's son and a former employee at Isaac's jewelry showroom. Driven by class jealousy and empowered by the Islamic Revolution, he joins the Revolutionary Guard. He uses his newfound authority to enact retribution against his former wealthy employers, encouraging the looting of Isaac's business and adopting radical political rhetoric.

Mohsen is a zealous interrogator for the Revolutionary Guard. A former political prisoner who was tortured under the Shah's regime, he has risen quickly through the ranks of the new government. He uses physical and psychological brutality against prisoners like Isaac, justifying his cruelty with religious and revolutionary fervor.

Javad is Isaac's brother, a man who operates in the city's black market as a bootlegger smuggling vodka. His illicit activities draw the attention of the Revolutionary Guard, putting both himself and his extended family at risk. Despite his criminal enterprises, he maintains a strict, if unconventional, personal code of honor.

Shahla is Isaac's sister, a woman deeply attached to her high social status and luxurious possessions. Married to a man with strong ties to the old monarchy, she surrounds herself with classical French furniture and historical artifacts. She stubbornly refuses to leave Iran, unable to imagine a life where she is stripped of her prestige and historical links.

Keyvan is Shahla's husband, an affluent man whose family was closely associated with the former Shah's court. He recognizes the danger of the new political climate more clearly than his wife but feels tied to his family's properties and historical legacy in Iran.

Zalman Mendelson is Parviz's Hassidic Jewish landlord and employer in Brooklyn. Operating a hat shop, he is a devout, family-oriented man whose father survived persecution in Russia. He is generous toward Parviz, offering him work and inviting him to Sabbath meals, but maintains strict religious boundaries regarding his family.

Rachel is Zalman Mendelson's 16-year-old daughter. She works at a local flower shop and possesses a deep passion for botany. Raised in a strict Hassidic household where she is forbidden from touching men outside her family, she finds her loyalties tested when she begins developing a connection with Parviz.

Mr. Broukhim is an Iranian expatriate and former doctor who now runs a flower shop in New York. Having suffered personal and financial ruin due to a bitter separation, he relies on the local Jewish community for survival. He acts as a weary advisor to Parviz, warning him about the complications of romance and religious division.

Leila is Shirin's classmate and friend. Her father is a high-ranking Revolutionary Guard who manages a prison, creating a sharp political divide between her family and the Amins. She is indoctrinated with the new regime's ideology, participating in discussions about martyrdom, but maintains a complicated childhood loyalty to Shirin.

Mehdi is a political prisoner who shares a cell with Isaac. A communist who fought against the Shah and now opposes the Islamic republic, he has endured severe foot lashings during his eight months of captivity. He offers practical survival advice to Isaac while crafting a wooden toy for his daughter.

Ramin is a 16-year-old boy imprisoned alongside Isaac. With his father dead and his mother also in jail for her communist beliefs, Ramin displays a reckless defiance against the guards and the new religious mandates. His courage in the face of brutal punishment leaves a lasting impression on the older prisoners.

Sofoyan Vartan is an accomplished pianist and an old acquaintance of the Amin family. He frequently played at Shahla's high-society parties, where he and Farnaz shared a close, musically fueled bond that caused Isaac significant resentment. He is now among the many intellectuals and artists imprisoned by the new regime.

Hossein is a guard at the prison where Isaac is held. Unlike his violently zealous colleagues, Hossein demonstrates small moments of leniency and humanity. He occasionally offers Isaac medical supplies, advice, and a Koran, encouraging him to hold onto faith in order to survive his ordeal.

Hakim Amin is Isaac's elderly father. He was a cold and violent man in Isaac's youth, responsible for committing his own wife to a sanatorium and bringing disgrace to his once-noble family name. Now old and sick, he longs for prohibited alcohol and relies on his children as his health rapidly declines.