Nhamo is a young, educated man who plans to leave his rural ancestral home to pursue a white-collar career in the city. He places immense confidence in formal education and Western models of success, dismissing the traditional charms and spiritual practices of his ancestors. Full of youthful energy, he views himself as an unstoppable force destined for a bright future.

Old Musoni is an aging farmer who relies on traditional agricultural methods and deeply values the land of his ancestors. He distrusts the technological changes brought by European colonization, viewing airplanes and industrial machinery as threats to their way of life. He wants his family to remain together on the farm, safe from the predatory nature of the outside world.

Mhondiwa is an assistant foreman on a gumtree plantation who suffers from intense psychological distress. He carries deep trauma from a childhood tragedy and the subsequent extreme traditional healing practices he endured. He relies heavily on a lion skin belt for a sense of courage and stability in his daily life.

Mrs. Pfende is a remarkably beautiful woman who manages a small, busy grocery store with her husband. She carries heavy social stigma from her past, having lost her children when her first husband's family accused her of witchcraft following his death. Unhappy in her current marriage to an insensitive man, she looks forward to brief daily interactions with the delivery driver.

Magufu is a young married man who moved to the capital city to secure professional work and support his rural family. City life rapidly changes him, leading to severe alcohol abuse and destructive social habits. He frequently hosts loud drinking parties and exhibits aggressive behavior toward the women he brings home.

Moab is a young urban professional who sends a portion of his wages back to his home village. He holds deep-seated resentment toward his mother, feeling that her demands pushed him into a stressful city life. He frequently uses his paychecks on weekend drinking binges rather than managing his responsibilities.

Bishi is a student studying far from his ancestral home. The physical distance between his school and his family's farm creates an emotional disconnect, making it difficult for him to process bad news when it arrives. He relies heavily on sensory memories, particularly smells, to connect with his roots.

Paul holds a Junior Certificate and moved to the city expecting to find white-collar work. Two years later, he remains homeless, discovering that his formal education does not qualify him for the few available office jobs, while simultaneously leaving him too inexperienced for manual labor positions. He frequently encounters racism during his job hunt but continues to attend interviews to prove stereotypes wrong.

Zakeo is a thirteen-year-old boy living in a rural village. He struggles with his father's physical disability and the cruel rumors his classmates spread about his mother being a witch. To escape the tense atmosphere of his home and the schoolyard bullying, he seeks out older male role models to teach him traditional skills.

Sekuru is Zakeo's grandfather and a practitioner of traditional rural living. He teaches his grandson how to catch worms, fish, and trap mice, offering a comforting presence away from Zakeo's troubled household. He views education as less important than practical land skills, placing him at odds with Zakeo's mother.

Nharo is an educated young man who approaches the world with skepticism. He dismisses local legends regarding witches, spirits, and haunted places, believing that modernization and infrastructure will eventually erase these old superstitions. Despite his modern outlook, strange occurrences in the wilderness challenge his rational worldview.

Tendai is a secondary boarding school student who visits the capital city before the academic term begins. He relies on his older brother to pay his school fees and looks up to him as a role model. The realities of city life and his brother's behavior severely test his innocent outlook.

Hama is a young boy with an amputated leg, resulting from a car accident caused by his father. He lives primarily with his Aunt Rudo but is occasionally collected by his father. Innocent and generous, Hama fails to understand the danger his father places him in, retaining an optimistic view of his parent.

Julius is a boarding school student who openly defies school authorities to gain the admiration of his peers. He thrives on the temporary praise of his classmates but fails to grasp the long-term consequences of his actions until it is time for him to leave the school grounds.

Gatsi is an employed young man working for a publishing firm. He pays rent to a former classmate and surrounds himself with large stacks of books. While he avoids the extreme alcohol and drug abuse common in the city, he remains a passive observer to his landlord's exploitation of vulnerable women.

Ngoni is a research assistant who lives at a tree plantation. He maintains a year of sobriety but illegally sells strong alcoholic beverages to other workers. He attempts to isolate himself from the dysfunctional lives of his coworkers, preferring not to get involved in their domestic disputes.

Mr. Pfende is a grocery store owner who prioritizes the financial success of his business over his domestic life. He is sterile, unable to give his wife the children she desires, and remains largely oblivious to the deep resentment she harbors toward him.

Chemai is Nharo's traveling companion during a five-mile hike across a mountain. He holds a deep belief in local folklore, fearful of ghostly drummers and the Spirit of the Mountain. He recounts stories of colonial developers failing to build infrastructure due to supernatural interference.

Jape is Nharo's grandmother who lives in a small village near the mountain. She is an older woman deeply connected to the traditional spiritual practices of the region. She acts as a comforting authority figure for young people seeking remedies against bad omens.

Aunt Rudo is the primary caregiver for Hama for most of his early life. She provides a stable environment away from Hama's destructive father and teaches the boy Christian stories and songs, which shape Hama's understanding of the world.

Dora is a student who shares a desk with Julius. She views his severe disciplinary consequences as a joke at first, later offering him pity rather than the heroic admiration he desires from her.

Chipo is a young woman living in the city who spends a weekend with Moab. She seeks a stable, loving relationship and attempts to bridge the emotional distance between them, bringing money to assist him when he is broke.

Kute is Gatsi's unemployed former classmate who lives off a small allowance provided by his father. Lacking professional success, he occupies his time by deceiving and exploiting young rural women who arrive in the city looking for help.

Mangazva is a heavily alcoholic tree plantation worker. He frequently engages in violent altercations while drunk and relies on his formidable mother to negotiate on his behalf, as he lacks the agency to manage his own disputes with plantation management.

Moses is the delivery driver responsible for stocking the Pfendes' grocery store with bread. His brief daily visits break up the monotony of the workday for the store owners.

Chitauro is a gumtree plantation worker who receives a promotion over his coworker. He attempts to maintain a friendly, placating demeanor, assuring others that plantation hierarchies are fickle and temporary. He hosts a homebrewed beer ceremony to settle a dispute.

Old Makiwa is an elderly man on the tree plantation who oversees traditional meetings. He drinks heavily and frequently voices his belief that the modern world has lost the sacred meanings of natural events, viewing the heavy rain strictly in practical, morbid terms.

Muganu is a rural medicine man who performs extreme physical rituals to exorcise spirits. He utilizes herbs, oils, and physical incisions to treat his patients, leaving lasting psychological scars on those he claims to heal.