A London-educated woman from a wealthy family who shares a complex relationship with her sister, Kainene, and marries the intellectual and political Odenigbo.

A successful and independent businesswoman known for her sarcasm and distance from her sister, Olanna, while managing a relationship with expatriate writer Richard.

A university professor and fervent supporter of the Igbo cause, whose home becomes a hub for intellectual debates and later suffers from the scars left by the war.

An English expatriate writer drawn to Nigeria by its culture and artifacts, who becomes romantically involved with Kainene while documenting the impacts of the war.