Martin Feifel
— Friedrich Holderlin
Marianne Denicourt
— Susette Gontard
Ulrich Matthes
— Isaac von Sinclair
Nina Hoss
Margit Carstensen
— Sinclair's mother
Matthias Faber
— Henry Gontard
Jochen Regelien
— detective
Ueli Jäggi
— "Germania"
Dieter Landuris
— "Marianna"
Pierre Besson
— Friedrich Schelling
Tobias Langhoff
— Georg Hegel
Ulrich Mühe
— Jacob Gontard
Zofia Saretok
— Madame Gontard d'Orville
Lech Dyblik
Piotr Gąsowski
Małgorzata Kalamat
— Mariele
Redbad Klynstra-Komarnicki
— Georg Hammelmann
Zofia Merle
Michał Pawlicki
Wojciech Skibiński
— doctor Muller
Paweł Burczyk
— camel owner (uncredited)
Witold Gajzler
— (uncredited)
Krzysztof Kiersznowski
— doctor Sommering (uncredited)
Tadeusz Woszczyński
— servant (uncredited)
Mirosław Zbrojewicz
— (uncredited)