Luke is a sensitive, observant seven-year-old boy living on an eighty-acre cotton farm in Black Oak, Arkansas. Fascinated by the St. Louis Cardinals, he longs to escape the grueling physical labor of the fields and frequently distracts himself with baseball statistics. As the harvest progresses, he acts as a quiet witness to the escalating hostilities between the hired hands, forcing him to carry secrets that severely affect his emotional well-being.

Eli, known to his family as Pappy, is Luke's grandfather and the stern patriarch of the Chandler family. A former baseball player turned indebted cotton farmer, he manages the farm operations and the lives of those under his roof with absolute authority. He attempts to maintain order over an increasingly volatile workforce out of sheer financial necessity.

Kathleen is Luke's mother, who married into the Chandler family from a slightly more comfortable background near town. She secretly aspires to move her family away from the grueling life of agricultural labor and dreams of one day living in a painted house. She cultivates a vegetable garden as a personal refuge from the relentless demands of the farm.

Jesse is Luke's hardworking father, who toils alongside his aging father in the Arkansas cotton fields. He enforces strict rules and traditional household expectations, often punishing Luke physically for perceived misbehavior. He shares his father's deep connection to the land and feels the heavy burden of the family's financial debts.

Tally is a beautiful seventeen-year-old member of the Ozark hill people hired to help with the cotton harvest. Enigmatic and observant, she captures the attention of the younger Luke and the older farmhands alike. She frequently seeks out moments of independence away from her overbearing family.

Hank is Tally's mountainous, intimidating older brother. He possesses a volatile temper and a penchant for brutal physical violence, quickly becoming a source of tension and fear on the farm. He uses his imposing physical size to bully others and assert dominance over the local community.

Gran is Luke's grandmother, who manages the domestic sphere of the Chandler household. She is a stabilizing force who adheres strictly to the traditional roles of a rural farming wife, opposing frivolous expenses like house paint.

Trot is a member of the Spruill family who has physical and mental disabilities. Unable to withstand the grueling heat of the cotton fields, he finds other ways to occupy his time, most notably by initiating a project to paint the Chandlers' unpainted house.

Leon is the patriarch of the Ozark hill people family hired by the Chandlers. He negotiates his family's wages and attempts to manage his difficult children during the harvest season, though he often loses control over his eldest son.

Cowboy is a young, athletic Mexican migrant worker hired by the Chandlers. He is a talented baseball pitcher who carries a switchblade, drawing both admiration and wary respect from those around him. He quietly observes the social dynamics of the farm while completing his daily labor.

Miguel is the leader and spokesman for the group of Mexican migrant workers. He negotiates terms with Eli Chandler and acts as a mediator to keep the peace among his men and the other laborers.

Ricky is Luke's young uncle who is currently fighting in the Korean War. His absence casts a long shadow over the Chandler household, with the family anxiously awaiting his letters. He represents the outside world's dangers intruding upon the isolated Black Oak community.

Libby is a fifteen-year-old girl from a neighboring family of impoverished sharecroppers. She becomes the subject of intense local gossip due to her concealed, out-of-wedlock pregnancy, remaining isolated from the community to hide her condition.

Mr. Latcher is Libby's father and the patriarch of an extremely impoverished sharecropping family. He struggles to provide for his large household and relies heavily on the surrounding community for survival during crises.

Mrs. Latcher is the matriarch of the neighboring sharecropper family. She manages a busy, chaotic household and strictly disciplines her children when they misbehave, while relying on the Chandlers for vital assistance.

Percy is one of Libby's younger brothers. He acts as a messenger for his family and violently defends his sister's reputation against perceived slights from the wealthier farming families.

Stick is the local sheriff of Black Oak. He frequently visits the Chandler farm to investigate disturbances and relies on witness testimonies to maintain the peace in his jurisdiction, though he is sometimes intimidated by wealthy landowners.

Jerry is a young man from a disreputable local family of sharecroppers. He becomes involved in a devastating public fight that quickly escalates beyond typical town entertainment, disrupting the entire community.

Jimmy Dale is Eli Chandler's nephew who has moved up north to work in an automobile factory. He returns to visit Black Oak in a flashy car, representing a modern, prosperous lifestyle that contrasts sharply with the Chandlers' poverty.

Stacey is Jimmy Dale's new wife from Michigan. As a Northerner unaccustomed to rural Southern life, she holds condescending attitudes toward the blue-collar farmers she visits, quickly making herself unpopular with her new in-laws.

Pearl is a local grocer in Black Oak. She runs a store that supplies the migrant workers and provides a space where locals like Luke can enjoy small luxuries or watch television.

Dewayne is a young boy from Black Oak and one of Luke's friends. The two boys often roam the town together without adult supervision and share a mutual shock at the brutal incidents they witness.

Brother Akers is the local preacher who delivers impassioned sermons at the church in Black Oak. His messages often center around the moral failings of the community and the ongoing war in Korea.

Samson is a touring carnival strongman who challenges locals to wrestling matches for cash. His intimidating presence is put to the test when a massive local farmhand enters the ring.

Luis is one of the Mexican migrant workers hired by the Chandlers. His sleep is violently disturbed by late-night harassment from one of the other hands on the farm.