Shukumar is a 35-year-old academic writing his graduate school dissertation in Boston. Following a family tragedy six months prior, he spends his days indoors and takes over the household cooking, though he struggles with motivation and general self-care. He feels insecure about his prolonged student status and remains disconnected from his cultural roots in India, having missed out on childhood trips abroad.

Shoba is a 33-year-old proofreader whose previously organized, meticulous nature dissolved following a traumatic hospital delivery. She avoids her husband by surrounding herself with work files and colored pencils in the living room every evening. She has abandoned her former passion for improving traditional Indian recipes, preferring to remain detached from her household routines and domestic life.

A devout, pragmatic woman who travels from Arizona to Boston to care for her daughter's household. She performs domestic chores mechanically but efficiently. She maintains a strong connection to her Indian heritage through religious practices, setting up a cultural shrine to pray for healthy future grandchildren.

A widow who struggles deeply with prolonged grief over the loss of her husband. During visits, she prepares meals her husband loved but remains too emotionally overwhelmed to eat them, requiring significant emotional support and empathy from her family.

A friend and coworker of Shoba. She accompanies Shoba for martinis after work, providing an outlet for socialization outside the home.

The infant son of Shoba and Shukumar, lost during an emergency delivery three weeks before his due date. The tragedy of his passing serves as the central trauma that fractures his parents' relationship, causing them to withdraw into separate spheres of existence.