Perveen is a 23-year-old Parsi woman and the first female solicitor in Bombay, working for her father's law firm. Educated at Oxford after leaving an abusive marriage, she strongly advocates for women's rights and equality under the law. She feels a heavy responsibility to prove herself in a male-dominated profession while balancing her family's expectations with her independent spirit.

Razia is the 30-year-old first wife of Omar Farid and mother to his eldest daughter, Amina. She manages the wakf (charitable trust) established by Farid Fabrics, reflecting her strong moral compass and desire to atone for profiting from war uniforms. As a senior purdahnashin, she values education and quietly commands respect within the household.

Sakina is the petite, beautiful second wife of Omar Farid, holding significant influence over the household despite not being the senior wife. Married off at fifteen to the much older Farid, she fiercely defends the purdah lifestyle, comparing it to a walled garden where she protects her daughters. She is deeply invested in the financial security of her inheritance and highly suspicious of outside intervention.

Faisal Mukri is the estate trustee for the Farid household and Sakina's cousin. He is a physically imposing, misogynistic man in his mid-twenties who uses his position of authority to manipulate the secluded widows. He attempts to redirect the charitable wakf funds to a boys' school, showing little regard for the women's autonomy or legal rights.

Jamshedji is a successful, fifty-year-old Parsi lawyer who runs the family practice in Bombay. He is a doting but sometimes overprotective father who champions his daughter's education and legal career, even fighting for her in the restrictive Parsi marriage courts. He balances progressive ideals about women's education with a desire to shield his family from scandal.

Cyrus is the wealthy, pampered son of a Calcutta bottling plant owner. Behind his handsome, aristocratic features lies a selfish, cowardly, and deeply abusive nature. Used to getting his way, he inflicts severe emotional and physical trauma on Perveen during their brief marriage, blaming others for his own irresponsible and dangerous behavior.

Alice is a progressive Oxford graduate and Perveen's closest confidante. Raised in India by high-ranking British colonial parents, she rejects their conservative values, having associated with suffragettes in England. She faces intense family pressure to marry a man and abandon her lesbian identity, finding solace in her friendship with Perveen.

Amina is the 12-year-old daughter of Omar Farid and Razia. She possesses sparkling energy and a swift, logical mind, taking great interest in the outside world and practicing her English. She longs for formal schooling and acts as an eager, curious presence within the secluded household.

Mumtaz is the youngest and third wife of Omar Farid. Unlike the other wives, she comes from a modest background, having met Farid in a bar where she played music. She genuinely mourns her husband and spends much of her time quietly avoiding household conflicts, finding solace in her musical instruments and a desire for peace.

Mohsen is the surly guardsman for the Farid household and father to two child servants, Fatima and Zeid. He struggles to provide for his family on irregular wages, resorting to petty theft from his employers to purchase medical treatment for his son. His desperate circumstances make him susceptible to coercion by those with more power in the household.

Camellia is Jamshedji's wife and a well-known philanthropist in Bombay. She champions women's education and raised her daughter to value studying over traditional domestic chores. Though she sometimes keeps secrets to preserve family harmony, she is an intelligent, progressive woman whose advice is highly valued by her husband and children.

Sir David is a prominent politician in the British colonial government in India. He is outwardly friendly but embodies the paternalistic attitudes of the British Empire, viewing local customs like purdah as inherently dangerous. He clashes with Perveen over legal jurisdiction while simultaneously trying to manage his rebellious daughter's life.

Lady Gwendolyn is the aristocratic, delicate mother of Alice. Despite living in India for years, she remains deeply fearful of the country and its native inhabitants. She is obsessed with propriety and distinctly lacks the intellectual curiosity or rebellious nature of her daughter.

Behnoush is Cyrus's mother and the rigid matriarch of the Sodawalla household. She enforces outdated, oppressive customs, such as locking menstruating women in isolated cells, and actively seeks to exploit her daughter-in-law's wealthy family for financial gain.

Grandfather Mistry is the deceased founder of the Mistry law firm. He strongly disapproved of Perveen's hasty marriage, creating a rift before his death. His imposing portrait serves as a constant, stern guardian figure for Perveen, symbolizing both the heavy expectations and the enduring love of her Parsi heritage.

Lillian is an Alexandrian parrot belonging to the Mistry family. Rather than being confined to a cage, she roams freely in the garden and always returns home. She serves as a living parallel to Perveen, representing the concept that a loving home is a sanctuary rather than a prison.

Fatima is the young daughter of Mohsen and a child servant in the Farid household. She is terrified by police presence and distressed by her lack of formal schooling, though she finds quiet moments of friendship with Amina inside the zenana.

Omar Farid was a wealthy Muslim mill owner who profited heavily from producing military uniforms. His recent death leaves a complicated estate, three secluded widows, and questions regarding the charitable wakf he established with his first wife.

Rustom is Perveen's older brother who works for the family's construction business. He maintains a lighthearted, teasing relationship with his sister but reliably provides practical assistance, such as locating old building plans when the law firm needs them.

Jayanth is a young dock worker and former client of Mistry Law. He was previously charged with inciting unrest for unionizing workers, a case the Mistrys won for him. He remains a friendly contact at the docks.

Inspector Vaughan is a white police officer assigned to investigate the crime at the Farid bungalow. He is initially dismissive of Perveen but pragmatically accepts her help when he realizes he cannot directly interview the secluded Muslim women.