Feride, who earned the nickname 'Çalıkuşu' (Wren) during her childhood due to her mischief and restless nature, grew up in her aunts' mansion in Istanbul and as a boarder at Dame de Sion. She lost her mother first and then her father at a young age. She and her cousin Kâmran fell in love and became engaged; however, days before their wedding, she learned that Kâmran had betrayed her with a woman named Münevver. Placing her pride above all else, Feride left Kâmran, fled the mansion, and went to the challenging villages and towns of Anatolia as a teacher through the Ministry of National Education. Throughout her journey, due to her beauty (which earned her the nickname Gülbeşeker) and being a single woman, she was repeatedly subjected to baseless slanders and gossip. She suffered a great collapse when she lost Munise, whom she had adopted in Zeyniler. Eventually, Doctor Hayrullah Bey married her on paper to protect her, and through his will, forced Feride to return to Kâmran, the greatest love and the deepest wound of her life.
She lost her mother, Güzide, to tuberculosis in a makeshift house when she was five. Her father, Nizamettin Bey, was a cavalry major, and he also passed away shortly after. After attending boarding school at the French sisters' school, she spent her holidays at her aunts' homes in Kozyatağı. Here, her childhood squabbles with Kâmran turned into a secret love, and later into an unfinished, broken engagement story.
Though not tall, she has a delicate and agile body, with very dark hair cut short and usually falling in waves onto her forehead. She has large, bright, luminous hazel eyes (sometimes turning green). Because her upper lip is slightly short, her lips always appear half-open, as if smiling. During her Zeyniler and Anatolian adventure, she often tried to hide behind a black taffeta school shirt or ugly chadors.
Munise
Her most precious treasure, whom she adopted in Anatolia and who keeps her attached to life.
Kâmran
Her former fiancé, whom she views as the perpetrator of an unforgivable betrayal but has never been able to root out of her life.
Müjgân
Her cousin, whom she considers a sister and the only confidante to whom she can open up her secrets.
Doktor Hayrullah Bey
Her spiritual father and fake husband who protects her from slanders and the predatory rumor mill of Anatolia.