Bashir Al-Khairi
A native Palestinian whose pleasant life in Al-Ramla was stolen away from his family by Israeli forces as the fledgling nation was just becoming recognized by the world. When Israel declared its statehood in the late 40's, Bashir's life was permanently dislocated.
When he visits Al-Ramla, he learns that it is still hostile toward Palestinian Arabs. His house has been taken, too, and now Dalia lives there with her family. Their friendship is the subject of this novel.
Dalia Eshkenazi Landau
A diaspora Jew whose family fled their home in Bulgaria to avoid being rounded up in the Nazi Holocaust. Now, Dalia lives in Palestine with her family, in Bashir's family home, as a matter of fact. Dalia is gracious and generous, but she is also sparky and direct. She and Bashir forge a powerful friendship that lasts for a long time.
Bashir's parents.
Bashir's parents appear in the story in flashbacks where we learn that Ahmad, Bashir's father, built their family home with his own hands, and that he built a sweet life for his family by working hard to run a local cinema. Nevertheless, when the Israelites come, they lose it all.
Dalia's parents.
When Bashir comes back to make an offer on the house he feels ought to belong to him, he finds that Dalia's parents consider it their home too, paralleling the conflict between Israel and Palestine. But, eventually, those parents die, and Dalia and Bashir decide together to make the home into a school where both ethnicities will be welcome.
