Murad
Murad is a young unemployed man from Morocco. Unlike the majority of the jobless population of the country, he has a degree, speaks English and Spanish fluently, and is well read. He decides to move to Spain to earn money and succeed, but to do that he has to cross Gibraltar illegally. He and many others are caught and sent back to Morocco, where he tries to put together a life for himself.
Faten Khatibi
Faten Khatibi is a young, poor, very religious Moroccan woman who decides to leave her country because there is no future for her after she flunks out of university. She also gets in trouble for making a harsh comment about King Hassan, and it is her imam who suggests she leave. After she is caught by the Spanish Civil Guard, she has no option but to turn to prostitution. She remains in Spain and does this job to survive.
Aziz
Aziz is a Moroccan man who can’t find a job in Morocco so he decides to go to Spain. He wants to earn enough money to prove to his parents-in-law that he is worth their respect and their daughter’s love. Though he makes it to Spain, he does not find a lucrative job, working on a farm and then as a bus boy. He does not make enough to return home permanently, and when he visits to inform his mother and wife of this, he ends up realizing he does not really want Zohra to accompany him back because he has his own life there now.
Zohra
Zohra is Aziz’s wife. She is young, reserved, and loyal to her husband even when he goes to Spain to find work. It is hard on her when he leaves, and she has to take care of his mother, but she is reluctant to move to Spain with Aziz.
Halima
Halima is a Moroccan woman who decides to flee from Morocco to Spain in order to get rid of an abusive husband and give her children a better opportunity to succeed. She does not make it, however, and has to return home. She leaves her husband and takes her children to live in a slum. Though conditions do not improve too much for her, Maati grants her a divorce and she makes a home for her family.
Fatiha
Fatiha is the mother of Halima. She is very traditional and blames Maati's bad behavior on Halima not being a good enough wife, but she does seem to love her daughter and grandchildren.
Mouna, Farid, and Amin
Mouna, Farid, and Amin are the children of Halima and Maati. After Farid saves his mother from drowning on the crossing, people consider him a saint.
Maati
The ex-husband of Halima, he is a selfish drunk and n'er-do-well who makes life hard on his wife and children.
Larbi Amrani
Larbi Amrani is a senior official at the Moroccan Ministry of Education and father to Noura. To an extent, he is responsible for Faten failing out of university.
Noura
The daughter of Larbi Amrani and Salma, she is a smart young woman but prone to getting swept up by new interests. She befriends Faten and becomes extremely religious and conservative for a time, a fact which dismays her liberal, affluent parents.
Betoul
A flatmate of Faten in Spain, she is from Marrakech, is a nanny, and looks down upon Faten for her profession.
Rahal
He is the captain of the Zodiac who takes everyone over the Strait.
Scarface
He is a large, greasy man on the Zodiac who leers at a young girl and is quick to be rude and belligerent to the other passengers.
Chrissa and Sandy
They are two white tourists who come into Murad's shop. Chrissa is depicted as being somewhat kind and thoughtful, while Sandy's behavior suggests she is racist.
Anas
He is Murad's coworker at the shop.
Si Tawfiq
He is an old friend of Larbi and an inflluential man in Morocco. Larbi helps secure a cushy teaching position for his niece, and he helps Larbi deal with the Faten problem.
Salma Amrani
Larbi's wife and Noura's mother, she is an influential, liberal lawyer and is dismayed by her daughter's newfound fanaticism.
Lahcen
Aziz's close friend, he is a closeted gay man and has feelings for Aziz, and does his best to dissuade Aziz from leaving. He sells phone cards, a dying profession, and eventually leaves Casablanca to find another job.
Khadija
She is Halima's neighbor who asks for a blessing from Farid for her own son.
Martin
He is a Spanish teenager from a notable family and Faten's favorite customer. However, this soon changes as she realizes he only wants to see her as an "odalisque" and is full of demeaning views about women.
