Tomáš is a skilled Czech surgeon living in Prague who divorces his first wife and avoids traditional romantic commitments. He maintains a series of erotic friendships with multiple women to preserve emotional distance and personal freedom. As an intellectual, he views life through a philosophical lens and constantly seeks the minute differences between individuals while resisting political conformity.

Tereza is an intelligent, observant young woman who works as a waitress before moving to Prague to live with Tomáš. Burdened by a difficult upbringing and a boundaryless mother, she deeply values privacy and views the body and soul as conflicting entities. She soon discovers a natural talent for photography that allows her to forge her own artistic identity.

Sabina is a fiercely independent Czech artist who rejects the state-mandated aesthetic of socialist realism. She creates paintings that subtly rebel against enforced collectivism by incorporating hidden messages into her work. Valuing freedom above all else, she structures her life to avoid emotional burdens and long-term commitments.

Franz is a Swiss university lecturer who lives a life dedicated to language, rhetoric, and academia. Unlike his Bohemian mistress Sabina, he views the world through a lens of deep commitment and tradition. He places heavy value on emotional weight, fidelity, and grand political movements.

Karenin is a pet dog named after the husband in Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. The animal provides a steady, unchanging presence in a household often troubled by jealousy and betrayal.

Marie-Claude is Franz's wife and a well-regarded patroness of the arts in Geneva. She uses her social capital to maintain power dynamics in her social circle and expects her husband to conform to traditional expectations.

Simon is a young man who holds strong political convictions and faces discipline for his activities. He lives in the countryside, remaining largely disconnected from his father due to their historical estrangement.

Tereza's mother is a controlling and unhappy woman who left her husband for another man. She frequently wanders her home naked, rejecting any concept of physical modesty or personal boundaries.

The Engineer is an elegant man who frequents the hotel bar in Prague. He shows an interest in Tereza, though his background and true motivations remain ambiguous amidst the intense political surveillance of the era.

A young academic student who becomes infatuated with her lecturer. Because she is young and inexperienced, she easily adopts his interpretations of the world and provides him with a willing audience.