Character Relationship Map: Capernaum

Characters

• Zain (played by Zain Al Rafeea) — protagonist

  The 12-year-old protagonist from Beirut's slums who serves a five-year prison sentence for stabbing his landlord after his sister dies. He runs away, cares for an undocumented Ethiopian infant named Y...

• Rahil (played by Yordanos Shifera) — protagonist

  An undocumented Ethiopian migrant worker employed as a cleaner at Luna Park. She shows compassion to Zain by allowing him to stay in her tin shack while she works, in exchange for him babysitting her...

• Yonas (played by Boluwatife Treasure Bankole) — supporting

  The undocumented Ethiopian infant son of Rahil. After his mother's arrest, he is temporarily cared for by Zain, who claims they are brothers. He is briefly handed over to the document forger Aspro bef...

• Souad (played by Kawsar Al Haddad) — supporting

  Zain's neglectful mother who forces her many children into labor and drug-related schemes instead of schooling. She callously trades her daughter Sahar to the landlord for two chickens and shows no re...

• Cockroach Man / Harout (played by Joseph Jimbazian) — supporting
• Selim (played by Fadi Kamel Yousef) — supporting

  Zain's father who, along with Souad, neglects their children and forces them into survival schemes. He mockingly denies Zain having any identification documents and kicks him out after his disownment,...

• Sahar (played by Cedra Izzam) — supporting

  Zain's eleven-year-old sister who is prematurely married off to the landlord Assaad in exchange for two chickens after developing her first menstruation. She tragically dies from pregnancy-related com...

• Maysoun (played by Farah Hasno) — minor
• The Judge (played by Elias Khoury) — supporting

  The presiding judge who oversees Zain's civil lawsuit against his parents. He questions Zain's motivations and desired outcome, ultimately ruling in favor of the boy and ordering an investigation into...

• Aspro (played by Alaa Chouchnieh) — supporting

  A corrupt document forger operating out of Souk Al Ahad who traffics undocumented children. He offers Yonas free legal adoption in exchange for custody, and later bargains with Zain for the child. Zai...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Zain → The Judge (Professional Plaintiff And Judge) — The Judge serves as the legal authority who hears Zain's testimony.

  The Judge questions Zain about why he is suing his parents and what outcome he wants.

• Souad → Selim (Family Spouses) — They function as a parental unit whose decisions expose their children to exploitation.

  The plot identifies Souad and Selim as Zain's parents and presents them jointly as the adults responsible for their children.

• Sahar → Selim (Family Daughter) — Selim is connected to Sahar through the neglectful household and the consequences of her forced marriage.

  Selim is identified as one of Sahar's parents, and Zain learns from the family that Sahar died after her pregnancy became difficult.

• Sahar → Souad (Family Daughter) — Their mother-daughter relationship is shaped by forced marriage and parental neglect.

  Souad participates in the family decision to marry Sahar off, and later tells Zain that Sahar died from pregnancy complications.

• Zain → Selim (Family Son) — Selim is Zain's father and part of the family system Zain challenges in court.

  Zain sues Selim together with Souad, and Selim later tells him that he has no identification documents.

• Zain → Souad (Family Son) — Their parent-child bond is defined by poverty, neglect, and Zain's demand for accountability.

  Zain brings a civil case against his mother, Souad, accusing his parents of having brought him into a life of neglect.

• Maysoun → Aspro (Professional Client) — Maysoun is connected to Aspro through his promises of refugee relocation.

  Maysoun, a Syrian refugee, tells Zain that Aspro has agreed to send her to Sweden.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Aspro → The Judge (Conflict Defendant) — Aspro becomes the subject of legal scrutiny following Zain's testimony.

  Zain alleges in court that Aspro is illegally adopting and mistreating children, after which Aspro's house is raided.

• Zain → Cockroach Man / Harout (Social Strangers) — The encounter redirects Zain toward the place where he meets Rahil.

  After running away, Zain meets the elderly man calling himself Cockroach Man on a bus and follows him to Luna Park.

• Zain → Maysoun (Social Acquaintances) — Their brief encounter gives Zain information about Aspro's migration scheme.

  Zain meets Maysoun at Souk Al Ahad and learns from her about Aspro's promise to send her to Sweden.

• Zain → Aspro (Conflict Bargaining Opponents) — Aspro exploits Zain's desperation by making migration assistance conditional on surrendering Yonas.

  Zain demands passage to Sweden, and Aspro agrees only if Zain gives him Yonas.

• Yonas → Aspro (Conflict Trafficking Target) — Yonas is placed at the center of Aspro's illegal adoption operation.

  Aspro demands custody of Yonas in exchange for document assistance and later receives him from Zain.

• Rahil → Zain (Alliance Supporter) — Rahil provides Zain with shelter and a temporary alternative to his family home.

  Rahil takes pity on Zain and lets him live in her tin shack in exchange for babysitting Yonas.

• Zain → Yonas (Alliance Caretaker) — Zain becomes Yonas's temporary protector and treats the infant as family.

  Zain agrees to babysit Yonas, later cares for him alone after Rahil is arrested, and claims that they are brothers.

• Rahil → Aspro (Conflict Adversary) — Aspro pressures Rahil to surrender her child through an exploitative arrangement.

  Aspro offers to renew Rahil's documents for free if she gives him Yonas for adoption, but Rahil refuses.

Story Analysis

A neglected child turns personal suffering into a legal demand for parental responsibility, protection, and recognition.

Plot Progression

1. A Child Takes His Parents To Court — Zain appears in court while serving a prison sentence and explains that he is suing his parents because they had him. The story then moves back to his childhood in Beirut's slums.
2. The Sister He Could Not Save — Zain works to support a neglected family and protects Sahar from discovery of her first period. His escape plan collapses when the family marries Sahar off.
3. Shelter At Luna Park — After running away, Zain reaches Luna Park and meets Rahil. She gives him shelter in return for caring for Yonas, creating a fragile family arrangement.
4. A Child Without Papers — Rahil is arrested when her documents expire, leaving Zain responsible for Yonas. Desperate for a future abroad, Zain accepts Aspro's cruel bargain and gives up the infant.
5. Justice And A New Identity — Zain learns that Sahar has died and retaliates violently, leading to imprisonment. His testimony later wins the case, exposes Aspro's operation, reunites families, and ends with Zain receiving an ID.