Main characters in the novel.

Doctor

Meets Aadam when he treats her while looking through a sheet with a small hole; has a strong hold on the family and turns out to not be the kind of wife Aadam thought she was.

What

Dark, second daughter of Naseem and Aadam. She falls in love with Nadir after silently serving him for many months; they marry but Mumtaz remains a virgin even after two years of marriage. Nadir flees, and Mumtaz changes her name to Amina and moves to Delhi.

Falls in love with Major Zulfikar, an officer. She is forced to promise to not him that Nadir is staying with them, but she ends up telling him after finding out that Nadir left Mumtaz still a virgin.

What

What

Religious activist; gets assassinated

Abdullahs assistant; gets extremely scared after Abdullahs assassination, goes and takes Refuge in Aadams house. Falls in love with Mumtaz. They are secretly married.

Saleems mother, who finds it difficult to love Ahmed like she loved Nadir. However, like her parents marriage, she attempts to love Ahmed one part at a time.

Owns a factory. Lives in an estate with other families.

Protagonist of the novel; born on Indias independence day. Saleems birth extremely significant;

Rumors say she had an affair with William Methwold, the owner of the estate they live at. She has a son at the same time Amina has Saleem.

Kind of like the entertainer to the families at the estate in Bombay that Ahmed and Amina live at. Wife: Vanita

Saleems sister

Switches the nametags of Amina and Vanitas babies. Later, because of guilt, she becomes Saleems caretaker.