Dog Woman
Dog Woman is one of the novel's two protagonists; she is a woman living in 17th-century England. She adopts Jordan when he is a baby and raises him. Dog Woman is superhumanly large, and quite grotesque and ugly in her appearance. She is very blunt and literal; Dog Woman does not have many friends, but she can be very kind and protective towards people she cares about. Dog Woman believes firmly in the Royalist cause, and kills a number of Puritans.
Jordan
Jordan is one of the novel's protagonists, and Dog Woman's adopted son. He grows up in 17th-century London and becomes an apprentice gardener. He also eventually travels around the world collecting samples of exotic plants. Jordan has a rich imagination, and is quite sensitive and philosophical. He falls in love with a mysterious woman after only seeing her once, and spends a long time looking for her. At the end of the novel, Jordan leaves England for the last time, but feels a sense of hope about his future.
Fortunata
Fortunata is a beautiful woman who is a gifted dancer. She grew up as a princess with 11 sisters, but ran away to avoid marriage to a man she did not love. Fortunata ends up living on an isolated island where she runs a dance school. Jordan and Fortunata have a romantic relationship after he finds her, but she is unwilling to leave her life behind to go with him.
John Tradescant
John Tradescant is an explorer who voyages to different places and also works as a gardener to King Charles I. Tradescant takes on Jordan as his apprentice, and also takes him on voyages to collect plant specimens.
Nicholas Jordan
Nicholas Jordan appears in the second part of the book, titled "Some Years Later." The plot follows him from his time as an adolescent boy and as he grows into a young man. Nicholas is very interested in boats and sailing, and eventually joins the British Navy. Nicholas eventually becomes intrigued by the unnamed woman who is an environmental activist, and seeks her out.
Woman
This character has no name; she appears in the second section of the novel, "Some Years Later." She is trained as a scientist, and later becomes an environmental activist. At the end of the novel, the woman works with Nicholas Jordan to burn down a factory that is pouring pollutants into waterways.
Jack
In the contemporary narrative, Jack is a boy who is close friends with Nicholas Jordan. Jack and Nicholas grow apart as Jack becomes focused on advancing his career and making money. Jack is the one who alerts Nicholas to the efforts of the woman and her environmental activism when he reads an article and complains about her.
