Hirut is a young woman who begins the war as an orphaned, enslaved servant in the household of Kidane and Aster. She holds tightly to her late father's Wujigra rifle as a physical tie to her family history. Subjected to severe physical and sexual abuse, she develops a hardened exterior and eventually seeks an active combat role in the Ethiopian resistance against the Italian invasion.

Ettore is an Italian soldier and photographer ordered to document Colonel Carlo Fucelli's military campaign. As a man of Jewish descent, he faces intense pressure and personal danger due to Mussolini's new fascist racial laws. He uses his camera to shield himself from the violence around him, struggling continuously to reconcile his father's moral teachings with his military orders.

Colonel Fucelli is a ruthless commander leading Italian and ascari forces in the Ethiopian mountains. Driven by an intense desire to climb the military ranks and impress his distant father, he employs extreme brutality, psychological manipulation, and chemical weapons to maintain dominance. He frequently leverages the personal secrets of his subordinates to force their absolute compliance.

Kidane is an Ethiopian military leader tasked with defending his region against the Italian advance. He commands deep respect from his soldiers and demonstrates tactical skill in early ambushes. At home, however, he enforces strict patriarchal control, dictating the roles women play and utilizing violence to assert his dominance when he feels insecure.

Aster is Kidane's wife and the demanding head of his household. Unwilling to remain passively at home during the invasion, she dons her father-in-law's uniform and rides out to recruit a female supply corps. She expects total obedience from her servants but actively challenges the gender constraints placed upon her by her husband.

Haile Selassie is the Emperor of Ethiopia, forced to orchestrate a defense against a technologically superior Italian army without international support. He spends his days isolated, listening to Verdi's opera Aida, and worrying about the survival of his state. He bears the heavy psychological burden of leadership and frequently converses with the ghosts of his past.

The cook is an unnamed servant who manages the kitchen in Kidane's household. She holds extensive knowledge of local herbs, utilizing them to subtly influence events and assist those suffering around her. She consistently watches out for the younger women in the compound and uses her resources to protect them when possible.

Fifi is an Ethiopian courtesan living within the Italian military headquarters. She maintains a carefully constructed facade of obedience to Colonel Fucelli while quietly observing the camp's operations. She uses her position and charm to gather critical information for the resistance.

Ibrahim is a captain leading the ascari, a group of Somali, Sudanese, and Eritrean mercenaries fighting for the Italians. He frequently experiences moral conflict regarding Fucelli's extreme orders, occasionally attempting to advise his men to hold back and avoid unnecessary civilian casualties.

Leo is Ettore's father, an Eastern European Jewish immigrant living in Italy. He lost his first wife and child in a pogrom before starting a new family. He communicates with his deployed son through carefully coded letters, unable to freely express his fears due to strict fascist censorship.

Minim is a quiet peasant and krar player attached to Kidane's camp. His striking physical resemblance to Emperor Haile Selassie eventually makes him a central figure in a propaganda effort to boost the morale of the Ethiopian fighters.

Seifu is a dedicated military commander in Kidane's resistance force. He executes dangerous infiltration missions and harbors deep hatred for Fucelli, a hostility that intensifies after his own son is captured by the Italians.

Tariku is Seifu's young son, who works as a scout for the Ethiopian resistance under the alias Anbessa. Even when facing execution, he refuses to show fear, embodying the stubborn pride of the Ethiopian forces.

Aklilu is a vocal soldier in Kidane's army who pays close attention to the shifting social dynamics within the camp. He frequently intervenes to protect his fellow fighters and helps maneuver vulnerable people out of dangerous situations.

Hailu is a soldier in the Ethiopian resistance who fights closely alongside his younger sibling. He suffers deep emotional distress when the harsh realities of the battlefield result in irreversible injuries.

Dawit is Hailu's younger brother and an eager soldier in Kidane's forces. His participation in the resistance brings him face-to-face with the immediate and brutal physical consequences of combat.

Zenebwork is Haile Selassie's deceased daughter. She appears as a specter in his mind, representing the heavy personal cost of his political maneuvers, as she died after being forced into a strategic marriage with a man who betrayed the state.

Known locally as Le Ferenj, Jacques is a 39-year-old French arms dealer and smuggler operating in East Africa. He idolizes the poet Arthur Rimbaud and demonstrates a heavy addiction to local stimulants, which heavily influences his erratic business demands.

Getey is a childhood friend of Aster whose experiences demonstrate the intense vulnerabilities women face in powerful households. She relies on the intervention of sympathetic men to escape sexual violence.

Menen is the Empress of Ethiopia. She attempts to leverage international communication to gather support and later helps manage the royal family's forced flight to England.

Fasil is Getey's husband, who relies on the protection of others to secure his family's safety from predatory figures of authority.

Mekonnen is the son of Emperor Haile Selassie. His absence weighs heavily on his father as the royal family prepares to abandon the capital.

Jembere is an elderly man and former servant of the Emperor who expresses his deep rage against the Italian occupation through small, dangerous acts of defiance in the streets.