Atiq is a Pashtun man working as a jailer at a Taliban-controlled women's prison in Kabul. He struggles with severe melancholy and apathy following his military service in the Soviet-Afghan War. His daily life is defined by the oppressive atmosphere of the city and his complicated feelings of obligation toward his chronically ill wife.

Musarrat is Atiq's wife, suffering from a rare, incurable blood disease that causes her constant physical agony. Years earlier, she saved Atiq's life during the Soviet invasion and nursed him back to health, prompting him to marry her out of gratitude. She internalizes the patriarchal values of her society, judging herself harshly for her inability to maintain her physical appearance or keep up with household duties.

Mohsen is a former diplomat and university-educated political scientist who lost his career and social standing under Taliban rule. Stripped of his purpose, he wanders the streets of Kabul and spends time brooding in cemeteries. He considers himself a conscientious objector but finds his morals slipping as the violent atmosphere of the city alters his psychology.

Zunaira is a former magistrate and women's rights advocate who is no longer permitted to practice law. She fiercely guards her self-respect, refusing to leave her home because she views the mandated burqa as an erasure of her human identity. She relies on her memories of university days and her past career to maintain her dignity in a society that values women only for their physical obedience.

Qassim is the commander in charge of the prison and Atiq's immediate superior. A veteran who associates with other former soldiers, he is highly ambitious and aligns himself perfectly with Taliban ideals. He views the harsh enforcement of Sharia law not as a moral burden, but as an opportunity for personal advancement, hoping to eventually direct the country's largest prison.

Mirza is Atiq's childhood friend and former military commander during the Soviet invasion. He adapts smoothly to the shifting political regimes of Afghanistan, balancing his connections to the government, the Taliban, and the black market. He maintains four wives whom he openly distrusts and advises Atiq to discard his sick wife for a younger woman.

Nazeesh is an older man and a former mufti whose mental health declined following the continuous wars. Reduced to struggling for survival like many in Kabul, he desperately holds onto a dream of leaving the city to see the ocean. He is highly sensitive to criticism about his age and physical limitations.

Mullah Bashir is a religious leader who preaches fiery sermons to the men of Kabul. He promises that the world will soon convert to Islam and heavily criticizes Western societies for their social policies and focus on material wealth.

Goliath is a war veteran who gathers with other former fighters to recount his experiences. He speaks bluntly about the harsh physical realities of combat, including the foul smell of the dead, using these stories as a way to process his historical trauma.

Tamreez is a former mujahideen fighter who insists on a fundamentalist, sanitized view of the war. He claims that dead fighters did not smell bad because they were sacred, preferring strict religious ideology over the grim realities of physical combat.