Zahra is a young Lebanese woman who experiences severe social alienation and trauma within a heavily patriarchal society. She compulsively picks at her face to cope with the severe distress caused by her family dynamics and early sexual abuse. Seeking refuge, she travels to Africa to live with her uncle, only to find herself facing new expectations and uncomfortable advances.

Fatmé is Zahra's mother, originally from a village south of Beirut. She outwardly enforces strict, traditional gender roles within her household while privately pursuing an extramarital affair. She openly favors her son over Zahra, reserving the best food for the men and creating a deep emotional distance between herself and her daughter.

Hashem is Zahra's maternal uncle, an exiled political partisan living in West Africa following a failed coup d'état in Lebanon. He longs deeply for his homeland and views Zahra as a living extension of Beirut. His inappropriate physical infatuation with his niece makes her living situation highly distressing.

Majed is an acquaintance of Hashem who emigrated to Africa to escape poverty in southern Lebanon. Desperate to establish a respectable life and overcome his feelings of social inferiority, he views marriage as a necessary step toward normalcy. He carries traditional views about gender and treats a wife as a possession.

Ahmad is Zahra's older brother and the favored child of the family. He initially benefits from his father's dreams of sending him to the United States to study. When the Lebanese Civil War breaks out, he joins a fighting faction, undergoing dramatic personal changes as he immerses himself in the conflict and brings stolen goods home.

Ibrahim is Zahra's father, a large man who works for the Beirut tramway and constantly checks his pocket watch. He rules his household with strictness and physical violence, demanding adherence to traditional patriarchal structures. As the civil war escalates, his authority diminishes, and he strongly opposes the sectarian violence destroying the country.

Malek is a married family friend in Lebanon who exploits his position to take advantage of Zahra. He uses poetry and false promises of employment to groom her. He subjects her to severe sexual abuse and forces her to undergo medical procedures, driving her into a state of silence and shame.

Sami is a local sniper who occupies a rooftop in Zahra's neighborhood during the Lebanese Civil War. Wearing a hood and carrying a rifle, he represents the immediate physical danger of the conflict. He becomes the focus of Zahra's attention as she attempts to form a connection during the chaos of wartime Beirut.

Tallal is Majed's friend in Africa who employs Majed in his shop. He lives a lavish lifestyle filled with expensive food like mangoes and caviar, contrasting sharply with Majed's more austere background. He acts as part of the social circle that scrutinizes Zahra during her time in Africa.

Hassan is Hashem's cousin who first introduced him to the Syrian Social Nationalist Party. Unlike the radical Hashem, Hassan shows restraint and refuses to participate in Hashem's ideas for political assassinations.

The Qarina is a spirit or jinn that represents Zahra's repressed fears, desires, and anxieties. It appears to her as a reflection in the water and in her dreams, causing a terrifying physical paralysis. Its presence mirrors Zahra's inability to express her true self within her oppressive environment.