Laila
Laila lives with her family in her grandfather's house after the untimely deaths of her parents. Before long, her grandfather dies, leaving her in the care of Uncle Hamid who is harsh and authoritarian. Laila wants a Western life, so she goes to university, but the Indian university is filled to the brim with Indian political activists who constantly remind her of national Indian problems—not exactly the Western experience she had hoped for.
Uncle Hamid
This staunch liberal is not kind-hearted. He is brutal, authoritarian, and closed-minded. He comes to Laila with a set list of expectations for what she has be like in order to gain his approval, and he assumes that Laila should strive for his approval in the first place. In the end, he rejects her for not being who he wanted her to be.
Ameer
Laila's hard life gets even harder after the death of Ameer, her husband, but for the short time they were married, Laila had a friend. Ameer was a nice guy, but he was poor, and Laila's family wasn't happy with Laila marrying below her station (her family is very wealthy). Ameer's death serves to remind Laila that political instability affects everyone—not just the politically active.
Asad
Asad is a Muslim, but he is rather secular. His advocacy against Britain defines him, so when India and Pakistan form their nations (having declared independence from Britain), Asad survives in India, but Ameer does not. Asad represents secular Islam.
