Maite is a 30-year-old single secretary living in Mexico City who feels dissatisfied with her mundane life and financial struggles. She escapes her reality by obsessively reading serialized romance pulps and occasionally stealing small trinkets from her neighbors. When she agrees to watch her wealthy neighbor's cat, she accidentally steps into a dangerous political conspiracy involving government surveillance and missing photographs.

Elvis is a young criminal working for the Hawks, a government-backed paramilitary organization. Raised in a low-income neighborhood, he joined the group seeking community and upward mobility, though he dislikes the physical violence his job requires. He harbors a deep passion for American rock and roll music, deliberately modeling his chosen identity after Elvis Presley.

Rubén is a working-class printer and a dedicated activist involved with the leftist art collective Asterisk. Passionate about political change, he resents the moderate and bourgeois members of his social circles. His practical, street-level involvement in the protest movement contrasts sharply with the romanticized ideas of heroism held by others.

El Mago is the well-dressed leader of the Hawks. He commands his paramilitary units with a cold, calculated authority, demanding absolute loyalty from his men. He presents an image of kingly sophistication that inspires deep admiration from his subordinates, operating effectively within the shadows of the city's political conflicts.

Leonora is Maite's wealthy, bohemian neighbor whose sudden disappearance sets the story into motion. Beautiful and socially active, she is involved with a leftist art organization and possesses sensitive photographs that make her a target for paramilitary forces. Her absence drives the actions of nearly every other character in the city.

Emilio is a wealthy, handsome man who associates with the leftist art collective Asterisk. He claims to support moderate political reform rather than radical action. His refined manners and bourgeois lifestyle immediately capture Maite's attention, fitting perfectly into her comic-book fantasies of a wealthy suitor.

Jackie is the leader of Asterisk, a leftist art collective operating in Mexico City. She manages the group's activities during a time of intense government surveillance and paranoia. She works constantly to keep her organization functional despite internal divisions and the constant threat of secret police infiltrators.

Mateo Anaya is an aggressive government intelligence agent investigating leftist groups in the city. He operates with official authority, tracking the movements of suspected activists and anyone connected to them. His presence represents the constant threat of state-sponsored surveillance hanging over the general population.

Arkady is a mysterious, suede-jacket-wearing Russian operative working alongside the leftist groups in Mexico City. His presence points to the broader international stakes of the local political conflicts, as he brings professional KGB espionage tactics to the student activists' grassroots struggle.

Sócrates is a member of Asterisk with deep ties to the city's activist networks. He operates carefully within the dangerous political climate, setting up coded newspaper communication systems to help protect his associates when they need to go into hiding from the authorities.

El Güero is a loyal foot soldier in the Hawks who strictly adheres to his boss's orders. He holds rigid ideas about masculinity, frequently criticizing things he deems feminine. He lacks Elvis's independent streak, preferring to blindly follow his superiors' commands regardless of the human cost.

The Antelope is a member of the Hawks who craves action and physical confrontation. He grows easily frustrated by the mundane aspects of paramilitary work, such as surveillance and stakeouts, wishing instead to use his weapons against the protestors.

El Gazpacho is a member of the Hawks whose severe injury during a protest tests the loyalty of his teammates. His sudden incapacitation forces the other members of his unit to make difficult choices about following protocol versus saving a friend's life.

Casimiro Villareal is a leftist Jesuit priest and teacher who provides shelter to activists in need. His religious vocation does not protect him from the violent tactics of the paramilitary groups sweeping the city for dissidents.

Justo is an operative for the DGPIS intelligence agency who moonlights as an information broker. He frequents popular leftist cafes, using his knowledge of the city's various factions to make money from anyone willing to pay for an advantage.

Lara is an American journalist living outside the immediate surveillance zone of Mexico City. She specializes in covering stories about disappearances in Latin America, making her a crucial contact for activists trying to expose government abuses without being caught.

Cándida is Leonora's sister. Unlike her bohemian sibling, Cándida is disconnected from the student protest movements and grows increasingly worried when Leonora vanishes without explanation, though she refuses to take on her sister's responsibilities.

Manuela is Maite's married, successful sister. She embodies the traditional expectations of womanhood in 1970s Mexico, providing a sharp contrast to Maite's single, independent, but financially unstable lifestyle.

Maite's mother is a traditional woman who holds conservative views on how women should live. Her rigid expectations for her daughters create a stifling environment that pushed Maite to move out and seek her own independence.

Laura is a fellow secretary at the law firm where Maite works. She enthusiastically participates in the office's social rituals and financial pools, creating minor everyday frustrations for the financially struggling Maite.

Concha is a member of the Asterisk collective. She is knowledgeable about the internal drama and shifting allegiances within the group, making her an unwitting source of intelligence for disguised outsiders.