Cushla is a 24-year-old Catholic schoolteacher living in a town near Belfast during the 1970s. She spends her days teaching seven- and eight-year-old students at St. Dallan's and her evenings working at her family's pub or caring for her mother. Despite the sectarian division surrounding her, she displays a sharp wit and deep empathy, particularly toward her marginalized students. Her quiet routine changes when she begins a relationship with a married Protestant customer, forcing her to balance her personal desires against societal expectations and familial duties.

Michael is a sophisticated Protestant barrister in his fifties who frequently defends civil rights activists and marginalized individuals. He possesses a strong sense of justice in his professional life, publicly condemning unfair legal practices. In his personal life, he is married and has a teenage son, but he actively pursues an extramarital relationship with Cushla. He introduces her to his wealthy, intellectual social circle, creating friction between their vastly different socioeconomic and religious backgrounds.

Davy is a seven-year-old student in Cushla's class at St. Dallan's. He is exceptionally bright and writes impressive poetry, but he faces severe bullying and poverty due to his parents' mixed-religion marriage. He eagerly seeks Cushla's approval and relies on the extra care, food, and protection she provides.

Gina is Cushla and Eamonn's proud but melancholic mother. Grieving the death of her wealthy husband, she struggles with depression and a severe alcohol addiction that limits her independence. She hides gin bottles around the house and relies heavily on Cushla for basic daily care, though she occasionally demonstrates fierce protectiveness over her children during emergencies.

Eamonn is Cushla's cautious, demanding older brother who manages the Lavery family pub. He prioritizes the business and the physical safety of his family above all else, often adopting a harsh, pragmatic approach to avoid drawing political attention. He dotes on his wife and children but frequently neglects his mother's care, pushing that responsibility entirely onto Cushla.

Tommy is Davy's 18-year-old brother, an intelligent student who studies classical literature and writes poetry. Despite his academic promise, he drops out of high school to become his family's breadwinner after his father suffers a brutal attack. He bristles under the constant harassment his mixed-religion family endures from local loyalists, channeling a profound and growing anger at the systemic injustices surrounding him.

Gerry is a perceptive fellow teacher at St. Dallan's who quickly becomes Cushla's closest confidant. Though they briefly attempt to date to satisfy local social expectations, they establish a firm, platonic friendship that provides Cushla with an essential alibi and emotional support. He privately manages his own romantic desires within the restrictive, conservative bounds of their society.

Seamie is a Catholic man married to a Protestant woman, making him a prime target for sectarian violence in his divided community. His severe injuries throw his family into crisis, forcing his teenage son to take on adult responsibilities and leaving him incapacitated.

Betty is the Protestant mother of the McGeown children, married to a Catholic man. Her mixed marriage makes her an outcast in the community, subject to discrimination from both sides of the sectarian divide and punitive actions from local school authorities.

Mr. Bradley is the strict headmaster at St. Dallan's Catholic school. He actively despises the McGeown family because of their mixed-religion household and monitors Cushla's attempts to assist them with a punitive, critical eye.

Father Slattery is a priest affiliated with St. Dallan's school who frequently frightens the children with graphic, partisan stories of anti-Catholic violence and harsh sermons about punishment and sin.

Victor is an affluent Protestant friend of Michael Agnew. He holds strong anti-Catholic prejudices and makes a point of directing snide, humiliating remarks toward Cushla during social gatherings, creating immense tension.

Penny is an elegant artist and hostess who forms part of Michael Agnew's wealthy, intellectual social circle. She frequently hosts dinner parties and Irish conversation nights, representing a social class vastly different from Cushla's working-class background.

Jim is a historian and part of Michael's tight-knit group of sophisticated Protestant friends. He regularly participates in the group's social and linguistic gatherings at his home.

Joanna is Michael's wife, a former law student who battles depression and an alcohol addiction. While Cushla initially pictures her as a miserable figure, she is actually beautiful, serene, and unaware of her husband's ongoing infidelity.

Marian is Eamonn's wife, a woman deeply loved and doted upon by her husband. She helps manage her growing family while attempting to navigate the strained, often defensive relationship she has with her mother-in-law, Gina.

Jane is part of Michael Agnew's affluent social circle. She regularly attends dinner parties with her friends and privately confides in Cushla about her struggles with repeated miscarriages.

Dermot is Michael and Joanna's teenage son. He lives a comfortable, sheltered life with his parents, entirely unaware of his father's extramarital affairs.

Mandy is the sister of Davy and Tommy. She is a young girl growing up in a marginalized, mixed-religion household, directly affected by the sectarian hostility directed at her parents.

Emma is one of Eamonn and Marian's young daughters. She is shielded from the sectarian tensions of the pub by her fiercely protective father.

Nicola is the young daughter of Eamonn and Marian, living a comfortable childhood carefully protected from the political dangers surrounding the family business.