Tom is a restless young man living in New York City, surviving by running petty financial scams such as impersonating an IRS agent. Orphaned as a child and raised by an uncaring aunt, he harbors deep self-loathing. He desperately desires the wealth and social status of the upper class. He eagerly accepts a commission from a wealthy businessman to travel to Italy and bring his estranged son back to America.

Dickie is the son of a wealthy American shipbuilding magnate. He lives a carefree bohemian life in the coastal Italian town of Mongibello, pretending to study painting while actively avoiding his familial responsibilities. He possesses a natural charisma and entitlement. He attracts friends easily but is highly protective of his independence.

Marge is an American writer living in Mongibello, working on a book about the coastal town. She acts as Dickie Greenleaf's constant companion through the winter months. She harbors unrequited romantic feelings for him and views new arrivals to their social circle with protective suspicion.

Herbert is a prominent American businessman who runs a successful shipbuilding corporation. Frustrated by his son's refusal to return from Europe and worried about his wife's failing health, he approaches a young man with a desperate business proposition. He uses his considerable wealth to try to solve his family's personal problems.

Freddie is an aspiring playwright and the son of an American hotel-chain owner. As a member of Dickie's elite expatriate social circle, he travels through Europe with inherited wealth. He has a brash, loud personality and favors flashy attire.

Emily is Herbert Greenleaf's wife and Dickie's mother. She suffers from leukemia, a condition that prompts her husband's urgent efforts to bring their son home. She meets with the young man hired to retrieve her son, providing him with warm socks and a bathrobe to deliver.

Bob is a young man living in New York City. He shares his apartment with a friend who uses the address to receive mail under a false name for various petty schemes. He throws a going-away gathering before his roommate sails to Europe.

Cleo is a young woman in New York City. She maintains a close, strictly platonic relationship with her friend and serves as his only true confidant before he sails for Europe.

Dottie is an older woman living in Boston. She raised her nephew after his parents drowned in a harbor accident. She provided him with financial support but maintained a cold and often cruel emotional distance.

Fausto is a local boy living in the Italian town of Mongibello. He spends time with the American expatriates and is hired to teach them the Italian language.

Alvin is an American private detective. He travels to Europe on behalf of a wealthy family to conduct a formal investigation. He applies a well-trained, analytical approach to the expatriate community.

Peter is a wealthy European resident who runs in elite expatriate circles. He commands respect among his peers due to his high social class and extensive financial resources. He offers his secondary homes to his friends.

Van is an American expatriate moving through the European social circuit. He spends his time staying with wealthy friends and participates in the leisure activities of the upper class.