| 1 | | | Oronsay - the
second Orient Line ship built after WW II. |
| 2 | | | Departure |
| | Flavia | Prins | Mynah's family friend. |
| 3 | | | Cat's Table - the least privileged place. |
| | Perinetta | Lasqueti | A lady at the cat's table. |
| | Ramadhin | | One of Mynah's friends on the Oronsay. |
| | Cassius | | One of Mynah's friends on the Oronsay. |
| | Max | Mazappa | A pianist. Aka: Sunny Meadows. |
| | Mr. | Nevil | Retired ship dismantler. |
| | Emily | de Saram | Mynah's distant cousin. |
| | Mr. | Wijebahu | Emily's boss. |
| | Father | Barnabus | Junior school master. |
| 6 | Mr. | Hastie | Head Kennel Keeper |
| | Mr. | Invernio | Hastie's assistant. |
| | Mr. | Tolroy | One of Hastie's gambling buddies. |
| | Mr. | Babstock | One of Hastie's gambling buddies. |
| 7 | Michael | | A boy travelling to England to meet his mother. Aka: Mynah. |
| | Massoumeh | | Ramadhin's sister. Aka Massi. |
| 12 | | | Cassius |
| | Socrates | Gunewardena | Mynah's family pediatrician. |
| | Senaka | | Mynah's friend in school. |
| 13 | | | The Hold |
| | Larry | Daniels | A botanist. |
| 14 | | | The Turbine Room |
| | Sunil | | The Hyderabad Mind. |
| 15 | Narayan | | Mynah's friend. |
| | Gunepala | | A cook, Mynah's friend. |
| | Mr. | Fonseka | Travelling to England to be a teacher. |
| 17 | | | A Spell |
| | Hector | de Silva | Philanthropist. |
| | | | Muttaraballa - urinating dog. |
| 19 | | | Miss Lasqueti |
| | Mr. | Gunesekera | A tailor. |
| 20 | | | The Girl |
| | Asuntha | | A deaf girl. |
| 22 | | | Thievery |
| | Baron | C. | A thief. |
| 24 | Mr. | Peters | A rogue sailor. |
| | Delia | | Hector's wife. |
| | Miss | Quinn-Cardiff | One of the passengers on the Oronsay. |
| | Mr. | Berridge | One of the passengers on the Oronsay. |
| 31 | Niemeyer | | The prisoner aboard the Oronsay. |
| 35 | | | Ramadhin's Heart |
| | Mrs. | R. | Massi's mother. |
| | Heather | Cave | Ramadhin's girl. |
| 36 | Rajiva | | Heather's boyfriend. |
| 39 | | | Two Violets |
| | Violet | Coomaraswamy | One of Flavia's friends. |
| | Violet | Grenier | One of Flavia's friends. |
| 40 | | | Two Hearts |
| | Anabella | Figueroa | Hastie's wife. |
| 44 | | | Asuntha |
| | Pacipia | | Asuntha's aunt. |
| 45 | | | The Mediterranean |
| | Lucius | Perera | Senior officer in the Colombo police force. |
| 46 | | | Mr. Giggs |
| | Mr. | Giggs | A high-level army officer. |
| 53 | | | Miss Lasqueti: A 2nd Portrait
|
| | Juliusz | Grusza | Polish war hero. |
| | Desmond | | Emily's husband. |
| | Horace | Johnson | Perinetta's employer. |
| | Rose | Johnson | Horace's wife. |
| | Clive | | Horace and Rose's son. |
