Nicholas Barber : The main character, a young priest who, unable to escape the lure of spring, has fled from his duties.
Martin Ball : The leader of the players.
Tobias : A player. A thrifty and wise man, who has been part of the player's group for a long while. He owns a scruffy dog.
Stephen : A player. Formerly an archer for the Sandville family, but, when he lost his right thumb, could not practice his profession any more and thus became a player instead.
Springer : A player. The youngest of the group, around fifteen. Because of his boyish face, he plays female roles.
Straw : A player. The most lively in the group, with strange mood swings.
Margaret : Stephen's woman. She helped out with the costumes and collected entrance fees.
Brendan : A dead player. Mostly present in the form of a decomposing body and a harbinger of ill tidings for the group.
Thomas Wells : The young murdered boy.
Jack Flint : The villager who discovers the body of Thomas Wells.
Jane : The young woman accused of the murder.
John Lambert : Jane's father. A simple weaver with strong moral ideas who is convinced that Jane's arrest was meant to silence him.
Lord de Guise : The local lord.
William de Guise : Lord de Guise's son.
Simon Damian : A corrupt monk bound to the Order of the Benedictines who works for the Lord.
The King's Justice : A man in the service of the King with the legal authority of a court. He had travelled to the unnamed village to judge Lord de Guise and his practices.
Sir Roger of Yarm : A knight competing in a jousting tournament.
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