Mitani Kikuji is a young, orphaned businessman dealing with the complicated legacy left by his parents. Haunted by childhood memories of his father's infidelities, he takes a passive and sometimes melancholic approach to life. He feels disconnected from the traditional tea culture his father loved but repeatedly finds himself drawn into its sphere and into the orbit of his father's former mistresses.

Kurimoto Chikako is a tea mistress and one of the former lovers of Kikuji's deceased father. Described as possessing a hard personality, she carries a prominent birthmark on her chest that deeply impacted her life choices and led her to adopt a largely sexless persona. She acts as an interfering, manipulative force in Kikuji's life, attempting to orchestrate his marriage and exert control over those around her.

Mrs. Ota is a beautiful, sensual, and emotionally fragile woman who was the long-term mistress of Kikuji's father. She is deeply nostalgic and frequently overwhelmed by shame regarding her past choices. Her soft, vulnerable nature makes her heavily reliant on her daughter for care and emotional stability.

Ota Fumiko is Mrs. Ota's practical and independent daughter. Having been forced to act as a protector for her fragile mother since childhood, she carries a deep sense of shame regarding her mother's affairs. Despite this burden, she displays resilience and a modern sensibility, often wearing Western-style clothing and taking charge of practical matters.

Inamura Yukiko is a graceful, traditionally beautiful young woman who studies the tea ceremony under Chikako. She represents an idealized, nostalgic version of Japanese cultural values and femininity. She is presented as a prospective bride for Kikuji, embodying freshness and a potential new beginning untainted by past sins.

Kikuji's father was an enthusiast of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony and a man whose complex romantic affairs continue to ripple through the lives of his survivors. Though dead before the novel begins, his past relationships with Chikako and Mrs. Ota dictate the social environment his son currently inhabits.

The deceased wife of Kikuji's father. During her life, she endured the presence of her husband's mistresses, even taking Chikako into the household as a companion and kitchen helper after the initial affair ended.