Lily
Lily is a privileged child of hippies who travel a lot. During one of their trips, Lily's parents are murdered in Bilal al Habash, orphaning Lily and leaving her in Mohammed Bruce's care, raised in part by Sufi mystics. At sixteen, she departs from him and travels to Ethiopia, and important land in their faith, and Lily tries to "find herself." She ends up being a social worker, having such extensive experience of suffering and loneliness.
Aziz
Aziz is similar and opposite to Lily, and they fall in love. Lily is too white for some prejudiced people in her community, and Aziz is too dark for those people. They are both judged for their ethnicity and skin-color, and Aziz is a good friend to Lily. Their names even share the repeated consonants. But, Aziz is stripped away from Lily by fate when the Ethiopians revolt and she must flee the country.
Mohammed Bruce
This family friend of Lily's saved her life by adopting her in the aftermath of a violent murder, when Lily's parents were killed. Mohammed raises Lily in a supportive Muslim home, teaching her the Koran and encouraging her to teach others and help them. He sends her on her pilgrimages, a sign that he knows she must find her way in life, regardless of the tragedy of her past.
