Ioannina – A woman of Byzantine and Turkish ancestry who witnesses the 1453 Ottoman Siege of Constantinople, the final death knell of the Roman Empire. As Sultan Mehmed II's forces breach the ancient walls, she must decide whether to stay in her birthplace or flee westward to Venice.

Luis Felipe Gutierrez – A Spanish adventurer who sails to Peru in 1555 dreaming of wealth, glory, and spreading Christianity like Columbus and Cortez before him. Instead, he finds disease-stricken, war-torn mountains and jungles where madness, confusion, and death await.

Ishi – A key advisor to the powerful warlord Tokugawa in Japan who must decide how to handle European missionaries. Her counsel will determine whether these foreign influences are tolerated or violently suppressed as Japan grapples with isolation versus engagement.

William (Njinga) – Forcibly brought to Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 by Portuguese slave traders and later captured by English pirates in the Caribbean. Sold with 16 other Africans to the struggling colony, he becomes one of the first to confront an international slave trade that would grip the lives of millions.

Jonas – A Caribbean pirate based in the notorious haven of Nassau in the 1700s. As trading companies and governments tighten their grip on the Atlantic World, he rebels by plundering merchant ships, constantly evading the hangman's noose.

Arun – A Bengali tax collector (zamindar) in the 1750s who must choose between loyalty to the Mughal Emperor or siding with the rapidly expanding British East India Company as they seize control of Bengal on the battlefield.