1 | Hugo | R. Langley | A bomber pilot. One of the narrators. Aka: Ugo. |
| Phipps | | Hugo's navigator. A flight lieutenant. |
| Blackburn | | Hugo's ally. The gunner. |
2 | Joanna | Langley | Hugo's daughter. One of the narrators. |
| Adrian | | Joanna's ex-boyfriend. |
| Edward | Langley | An ancestor of the Langleys. |
| King | Henry VIII | Former King of England. |
| Miss | Honeywell | The head mistress at Langley Hall School. |
3 | Miss | Snode | One of the mistresses at Langley Hall School. |
| Alice | | Miss Honeywell's assistant. |
| Bertie | | Miss Honeywell's cocker spaniel. |
| Miss | Pritchard | The history mistress. |
| Toby | Langley | Hugo's father. Joanna's grandmother. |
4 | Josh | | A horse groomer. |
| Brenda | Langley | Hugo's wife. |
| Teddy | Langley | Hugo's son. Joanna's half-brother. Aka: Teddy Schulz. |
5 | Billy | Overton | Owner of a bakery shop. Joanna's childhood friend. |
| Pauline | Hodgkiss | Billy's wife. |
| Dr. | Freeman | Hugo's doctor. |
| Josiah | Langley | A baronet. An ancestor of the Langleys. |
| Eleanor | Langley | An ancestor of the Langleys. |
6 | Sofia | Bartoli | The girl who finds Hugo wounded. Hugo's lover. |
7 | Nigel | Barton | The Langley solicitor. |
| Scarlet | | Joanna's former college roommate. |
8 | Sandra | | The receptionist at Barton and Holcroft's office. |
| Robert | Langley | A master of hounds. |
9 | Mr. | Aston-Smith | An appraiser. Nigel's acquaitance. |
10 | Benito | | Sofia's neighbor. |
| Signora | Gucci | Hugo's friend. |
| Signor | Pucci | The mayor. |
| Filippo | | The parish priest. |
11 | Guido | Bartoli | Sophia's husband. |
| Paola | Rossini | Owner of guest house where Joanna stays in San Salvatore. |
12 | Bruno | | Paola's dog. |
| Angelina | Rossini | Paola's daughter. |
| Gianfranco | Rossini | Paola's husband. Deceased. |
| Marcella | | Paola's granddaughter. |
13 | Ellison | | The old gamekeeper of the Langleys. |
14 | Cosimo | Di Girgio | The richest man in San Salvatore. Adopted Sophia's son. |
| Renzo | Bartoli | Sophia and Guido's son. |
15 | Gianni | Martinelli | Paola's neighbor. Murdered. |
| Alberto | | Joanna's new friend. |
16 | Dr. | Martini | A doctor. |
| Brenda | Langley | Hugo's first wife. Teddy's mother. |
22 | Mario | | Angelina's husband. |
| Mr. | Dotelli | A police inspector in the department of Lucca. |
25 | Nonna | | Guido's mother. |
28 | Maria | Donatelli | A woman who's having a party in Lucca. |
29 | Francesca | Martinelli | Gianni's widow. |
40 | Anna | | The nurse at the hospital near Rome. |
| Elsie | Williams | The housekeeper of the Langleys. |