General Benjamin
The General is the one who organized the standoff and who is has the authority over the others terrorists. Alfredo is respected by the others and he is a reasonable character, behaving with kindness towards the hostages. He agrees to let the ill and the women go and he lets the prisoners roam free in the mansion. After a while, he becomes friends with some of the hostages, playing chess with them often. General Benjamin is a tragic character in the idea that what he does is not because he want to create anarchy but because he wants to see the world change. Benjamin’s brother was a political prisoner who was locked in a prison for the mere fact that he was seen on the streets with a banner protesting peacefully against the government. He decided to join a terrorist group named after a young boy killed during a rally and to try and change things in his country. General Benjamin is a learned man, having been a teacher before he became a terrorist. He also had a family and children whom he let behind. General Benjamin is also among the character that treats the younger terrorists in a fatherly way. Sadly, General Benjamin is killed at the end of the novel by the soldiers who enter the mansion.
Roxanne Coss
Roxanne is a beautiful opera singer invited to entertain the guests in the prime minister’s house. In the beginning of the novel, Roxanne is proud, selfish and unable to be compassionate. Because she is used to being adored, she remains unmoved by the feelings of those around her and comes off as arrogant. Roxanne is among the only females forced to remain in the house while all the other women have been released. Her singing helps ameliorate the situation and it also attracts the attention of many male hostages, including Hosokawa with whom she falls in love. Coss also gets attached to a child terrorist named Cesar who has a talent for singing. Coss takes him under her wing and begins teaching him what she knows about music and singing.
Hatsumi Hosokawa
Hosokawa is one of the hostages that remain in the mansion until the end of the standoff. Hosokawa is described as being hard working, rising from nothing to owning a big electronics company. He is an opera lover and the reason why he was in the mansion was because he wanted to hear Coss sing. Slowly, a relationship between the two develops and they fall in love despite the language barrier. Just like many other characters, Hosokawa changes drastically during the four months spent in the mansion. He discovers what makes him happy and feels as if he was reborn. Hosokawa is among the characters killed in the end because he tried to protect one of the terrorists, Carmen. This also proves that he is kind and compassionate, wanting to protect someone who despite being a terrorist, is a good person.
Ruben Iglesias
Ruben Iglesias is the vice-president and the owner of the house where the terrorists hold the rest of the men captives. Iglesias is described as being a hardworking man who managed to rise to power through hard work and perseverance. Iglesias cares about the hostages inside his home and about the terrorists and he makes sure that everyone has what they need. In this aspect, his character is paradoxical because during the siege, he acts more like a servant and less like a politician. Iglesias often thinks that he is unsuitable to be vice-president and that he would rather do manual work than be involved in politics.
Gen Watanabe
Gen is another important character in the novel because he acts as a bridge between many characters. Gen is the translator and he facilitates the communication between the characters who do not speak the same language. Gen falls in love with one of the terrorists, Carmen and he agrees to teach her Spanish in secret. During their meetings, they grew attached to one another. Their attachment was so deep that at the end of the novel, not knowing that Carmen was killed, Gen began running in the manor, screaming that Carmen was his wife and looking for her.
Carmen
Carmen is one of the two young terrorist girls in the manor. In comparison with the other young terrorist, Carmen is calm and shy and willing to learn new things and improve herself. Carmen begins to learn Spanish in secret with Gen Watanabe with whom she also falls in love quickly. Carmen is among the first terrorists to be shot dead at the end of the novel.
Father Arguedas
Father Arguedas is a young priest who is kept captive inside the mansion. He is offered the possibility of leaving the mansion but he refuses, deciding to remain with the other captives. Father Arguedas is an avid opera lover and for him, the time spent in the mansion is a blessing because he is able to hear Coss sing every day. Just like the other hostages, he gets attached to the young terrorists and behaves in a fatherly way towards them. Despite this, he knows that his time in the mansion will end eventually and that he will have to return to his normal life. During the time he spent in the mansion, he served as a spiritual guide, hearing confessions and giving advice both to the prisoners and to the captives.
Tetsuya Kato
Kato is a man working under Hosokawa in his electrics company. After Coss’s acompaniast dies, he takes over and plays the piano while Coss sings. Kato lets himself enjoy playing the piano for the first time and reveals his talent. Kato frequently thinks that he would enjoy traveling with Coss and playing the piano instead of going back to being a business man and surpassing his talent.
Cesar
Cesar is another young terrorist in the house. For the vast majority of time, he remains unnoticed by the other characters and the reader only finds about him towards the end of the novel. Cesar makes himself noticed when one day sings in Coss’s place when she is late to her morning practice. Coss hears him and takes him under her wing, teaching him more about music and the techniques behind it. Coss gets attached to the young boy and acts in a maternal way towards him. Cesar is among the young terrorists killed at the end of the novel.
Cristopf
Cristopf is Roxanne’s young accompanist who is also taken prisoner. Cristoph is offered the possibility to be released because of his health problems but he refuses the opportunity, choosing to stay with Roxanne instead. The reason why Cristoph decided to remain with Roxanne was because he loved her even though she had no feelings for him. Cristoph is the first character to die in the novel and the reason for his death is his illness.
Beatriz
Beatriz is one of the young terrorists in the book. She is short tempered and doesn’t trust anyone. She always carries a gun with her and she doesn’t hesitate to threaten the other captives with it when she considers that they have crossed the line. Beatriz is also killed at the end of the novel.
Oscar Mendoza
Oscar is one of the captives in the vice-president’s house. He is intelligent and he spends his time playing chess with the vice-president and worrying about his daughters. Oscar is one of the men who get attached to Ishmael, a young terrorist.
Simon Thibault
Simon is a French ambassador that is also a hostage in the manor. He is the only character who is not happy to be a hostage, mainly because his wife was let loose and he was forced to remain there. The love between Simon and his wife was rekindled by the event and the novel records how Simon’s feelings changed from the first chapter to the last one.
Victor Fyodorov
Victor is an Soviet official held hostage in the mansion. During the time spent there, he falls in love with Coss. At one point, Victors asks Gen to translate for him while he confesses to Coss. He is however rejected by her and his feeling seem to be pretty shallow, Victor comparing his love for her with his love for books.
Ishmael
Ishmael is another young terrorist, loved by both the vice president and by Oscar Mendoza. The two men often discuss how they would like to adopt Ishmael and take care of him. The young boy is killed at the end of the novel.
Edith Thibault
Edith is Simons Thibault’s wife. When some of the prisoners are released, she is among them. Her husband however continues to remain a hostage.
Esmeralda
Esmeralda is a governess in the vice-president’s house. She stiches some of the men who were wounded after the terrorists take over the mansion. She is one of the hostages let free in the beginning.
President Masuda
President Masuda does not appear in the novel but his name is mentioned numerous times. The terrorists decided to siege the vice-president’s house in hope that the president will also be there.
