Who is Ben Marchand? Where is he in the opening chapters of the novel? For whom is he waiting? Why does he claim he has not seen his father since the bus hijacking and the bridge? What happened to Ben on the bridge? Why is Ben worried about the upcoming meeting? Where does Ben keep saying he wants to visit? Why is he delaying this trip?

Who is Miro? Why is he with Artkin? Who is Artkin to Miro? What happened to Miro's brother? What are Artkin and Miro planning to do? For what reason? What is the intended conclusion? What is Miro's assignment? Why is he given the assignment? How does Miro feel about this assignment? Who is Kate to Miro? How does he feel about her? For what reason?

Who is Artkin? What does he plan to do? What has he done...