Tricia is a shy, intelligent 23-year-old who recently moved to Vietnam with her husband. Raised in a traditional Irish Catholic household, she focuses heavily on family and eagerly desires to start her own. She struggles with the rigid social etiquette expected of military wives and feels inadequate when comparing herself to others. Tricia prefers to follow stronger personalities, trying to balance her desire to be a dutiful spouse with her shifting personal boundaries as she encounters the realities of war.

Charlene is a beautiful, highly intelligent American corporate wife living in Saigon. Chafing against the gendered limitations of the 1960s, she constructs an identity completely separate from her husband's career. She operates with fierce ambition, selling customized dolls to fund gifts for hospitalized Vietnamese children while bypassing military curfews. She feels a heavy responsibility toward the suffering of others, pushing her to take physical and social risks that shock her peers.

Peter is an affable young Irish Catholic man working as a civilian advisor for the CIA in Vietnam. He maintains a deep patriotism and staunch anti-communist beliefs. While he dotes on Tricia, he also embodies the traditional patriarchal attitudes of the era, viewing her as his charge as much as his wife. He trusts the American government implicitly and supports the local regime based on shared religious ties.

Rainey is Charlene's daughter, introduced as a sweet and shy girl craving her mother's often-withheld attention. In the narrative's framing device, she is a middle-aged woman reaching out to Tricia to learn more about her mother's past and the people she knew in Vietnam. Her perspective provides a generational contrast to the choices made by the military wives.

Dom is a 19-year-old GI serving in Vietnam with a pregnant wife back home. Known for his friendly and patient demeanor, he connects naturally with the local children and helps Tricia and Charlene bypass military checkpoints during their charitable excursions. His gentle nature remains a constant as he grows older and raises his family.

Stella is Tricia's best friend from college, raised in a large Irish Catholic family. She is a dedicated activist who firmly believes that social progress requires direct action and discomfort, serving as a stark contrast to Tricia's desire for safety and quietude. She routinely pushes her friends to participate in protests and civil rights activities.

Ly, known to the American women as "Lily," is a talented Vietnamese seamstress and domestic worker. She maintains a deferential exterior around the military wives due to the strict social hierarchies, but her skill and quiet grief hint at a complex inner life under the pressures of a war-torn country. Her decision to sew a miniature dress for a doll sparks Charlene's major charity project.

Minh-Linh is the cook for Peter and Tricia Kelly. She bridges the cultural and class divide in small moments, offering Tricia practical comfort during difficult times and facilitating interactions with local neighborhoods when the American women require assistance.

This unnamed, retired military doctor appears suddenly from the jungle, heavily disheveled but strangely charismatic. He operates completely without the polite physical restraints of high society, speaking bluntly about the horrors of the conflict and challenging the women's comfortable illusions.

Kent is Charlene's husband and an American expat working in Saigon. He acts as a peripheral figure in his family's daily life, representing the traditional corporate and military structures that Charlene actively works to bypass and ignore.

Ransom is Rainey's twin brother and Charlene's son. He spends his childhood in the expat community of Vietnam, forming part of the picture-perfect family image that Charlene projects to the outside world.

Arlene is Charlene's sister back in America. She provides an outside perspective on Charlene's marriage and motivations, helping Rainey piece together her mother's complex past by sharing family history.

Doug is Rainey's husband, holding cynical views regarding America's historical military interventions. His critical stance heavily influences teenage Rainey's perspective, leading her to question her parents' actions during the war.

Ellen is Dom's wife. Initially waiting for his return from Vietnam, she later builds a life with him and helps raise their adopted son, welcoming Rainey into their social circle years later.

Jamie is Dom's adult son, who has Down syndrome. He shares a deeply affectionate and positive relationship with his father, charming Rainey when she visits their property.

Marcia is a wealthy American corporate wife living in a gated villa in Saigon. She upholds the strict, unspoken rules of expat society and commands a staff of local domestic workers.

Wally is a military doctor stationed in Vietnam who accompanies Charlene, Tricia, and Dom on their excursions outside the city. He gets caught up in Charlene's flirtatious orbit during their tense trips.