Mariam, one of two female protagonists, is a quiet, thoughtful child. Mariam's shame at being illegitimate makes her unable to stand up for herself.
Rasheed
Laila, the second female protagonist, is the youngest child and only daughter of Hakim and Fariba. Laila has a strong desire to use her intelligence and education to improve the world around her.
Jalil
Tariq is a boy growing up near Laila in Kabul. He loses his leg to a landmine when he's very young and, through the support of his kind parents, never lets this disability slow him down.
Aziza
Rasheed is a widowed shoemaker whose first wife and son died many years before his marriage to 15-year-old Mariam. Conservative and willful
Mariam's father and a wealthy businessman, Jalil abandons Mariam, his only illegitimate child, at his wives' wishes. Years later, he finds Mariam to express his deep regret for her childhood and his love for her.
Aziza is Laila and Tariq's kind, mature, and thoughtful daughter who is forced by Rasheed to live in an orphanage.