| | | | PART I: Faith Plantation, Barbados 1830 |
| 1 | Catherine | MacCauley | A plantation worker. Aka: Big Kit. |
| | Gaius | | The house porter. |
| | Immanuel | | A helper. |
| | Emilie | | A housekeeper. |
| | Eramus | Wilde | The overseer. |
| 2 | Nawi | | Big Kit's true name. |
| | Edward | | One of the workers. |
| | Elizabeth | | One of the workers. |
| | James | | One of the workers. |
| | Cosimo | | One of the workers. |
| | Adams | | One of the workers. |
| | William | | One of the workers. |
| 3 | George | Black | A manservant. Aka: Wash, George Washington Black. |
| 4 | Maria | | A cook. |
| | Christopher | Wilde | Master Erasmus' brother. Aka: Titch. |
| | John | Willard | Executed for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. |
| 5 | Richard | Black | Titch's uncle. |
| 6 | Mary | | The field worker. |
| 7 | Isaac | Newton | An English mathematician. |
| | Tom | Thibodeau | American basketball coach. |
| | Jorge | | Titch's acquaintance. |
| 8 | Philip | | Erasmus' cousin. |
| | James | Madison | One of the workers. Aka: Black Jim. |
| | René | | A driver. |
| | Rene | Descartes | French philosopher. |
| | Immanuel | Kant | Prussian philosopher. |
| | Emilie | du Chatelet | French philosopher. |
| | Felicia | Black | One of Philip's acquaintances. |
| | Cornelius | Black | One of Philip's acquaintances. |
| | Amelia | | Titch's aunt . |
| 10 | Esther | | A kitchen slave. |
| | James | Wilde | Titch and Erasmus' father. |
| 11 | Samuel | | Titch's good friend. |
| | Dr. | Quinn | Erasmus' acquaintance. |
| | Peter | House | James Wilde's assistant. |
| | Eugenio | | A new helper. |
| | | | Part ll Adrift 1832 |
| 2 | Benedikt | Kinast | The ship's captain. |
| | Mr. | Slipp | A crew. |
| | Theo | Kinast | The ship's surgeon. |
| | George ll | | King of Great Britain and Ireland. |
| 3 | Edgar | Farrow | Titch's great friend. |
| | John Francis | Willard | A slave catcher. |
| 4 | Adam | | One of the runaways. |
| | Exekiel | | One of the runaways. |
| 5 | Michael | Holloway | Captain of the vessel. |
| | Jacob | Ibel | Holloway's assistant. |
| | Mr. | MacBane | A navigator. |
| | Agnes | | Mr. MacBane's sister. |
| 6 | Hesiod | | A servant. |
| | | | Part lll Nova Scotia 1834 |
| 2 | Joseph | Crawford | One of Wash's aliases. |
| 3 | Medwin | Harris | Wash's friend. |
| 4 | Tanna | Goff | Wash's acquaintance. |
| 5 | Vivian | Hatcher | Wash's ex-girlfriend. |
| | Mrs. | Blast | One of Wash's customers. |
| | Raymond | Grimes | One of Wash's customers. |
| | James | Smith | One of Wash's customers. |
| 6 | Geoffrey M. | Goff | Tanna's father. A marine zoologist. |
| | Miranda | | Mr. Goff's younger sister. |
| | Henrietta | Lemieux | One of Mr. Goff's sisters. |
| | Judith | Goff | One of Mr. Goff's sisters. |
| 10 | Aristotle | | A Greek philosopher. |
| | | | Part lV England 1836 |
| 3 | Mr. | Wolcott | Wash's acquaintance. |
| | Mrs. | Wilde | Titch's mother. |
| 5 | Robert | Solander | Titch's great friend. |
| | Maria | Cunitz | A field worker. |
| | Eleanor Ann | | Maria Cunitz's daughter. |
| | Eleanor | Gandville | A field worker. |
| | Maria Clara | | Eleanor Gandville's daughter. |
| 6 | Peter | Haas | Peter House's son. |
| 7 | Kees | Visser | Mr. Goff's colleague. |
| | Mr. | Saunders | Mr. Wolcott's son-in-law. |
| 8 | Eliza | | A cook. |
| | Mr. | Horne | One of Henrietta's suitors. |
| | Mr. | Dover | Henrietta's boyfriend. |
| | Adele | Lemieux | One of the ladies from England. |
| | Martha | Lemieux | One of the ladies from England. |
| | Margaret | Lemieux | One of the ladies from England. |
| 9 | Louis | Hazzard | A prisoner. |
| 11 | Sunshine | | Tanna's uncle. |
