Anita is an 11-year-old girl and a precocious, patriotic student attending an American school in the Dominican Republic. She writes extensively in her diary, though she must erase her entries nightly due to the danger of the secret police finding them. She experiences typical coming-of-age changes, such as a growing crush on her American neighbor, while slowly recognizing the terrifying political reality her family faces.

Mami is Anita's mother, who initially appears to be highly anxious and overworked by the demands of managing a household under constant surveillance. She organizes canasta games to maintain social normalcy while secretly harboring deep ties to the underground resistance movement. She urges her children to speak softly to avoid the hidden microphones placed by the secret police.

Papi is Anita's father and a store owner who is heavily involved in a secret plot to restore freedom to the Dominican Republic. He frequently speaks in coded language over the telephone and holds hushed meetings with other men on the family compound. He desires true independence for his country and is willing to risk his own safety to achieve it.

Oscar is a classmate of Anita who reads voraciously and possesses an intense curiosity about the world. He shares dark, unfiltered stories about the government's true nature, helping shatter Anita's idealized view of the dictator. His relentless questioning gradually transforms from an annoyance into a vital source of information for Anita.

El Jefe (Rafael Trujillo) is the brutal dictator who has ruled the Dominican Republic for over thirty years. He maintains control through his secret police force, SIM, which terrorizes the population and silences dissidents. In person, he is surprisingly small and insecure, relying on state-mandated adulation and fear to sustain his power.

Chucha is the family's former nanny from Haiti who helped raise Anita and her siblings. She provides a sharp contrast to the family's traditional Catholicism, placing her faith in magic, dreams, and omens. She dresses entirely in purple and sleeps in a casket to remain close to the next world, unsettling outsiders but comforting the family.

Lucinda is Anita's older sister, a beautiful teenager who enjoys typical adolescent activities like parties and socializing. Her physical attractiveness becomes a severe liability when El Jefe notices her, forcing the family into a desperate panic to get her out of the country before she can be taken.

Tio Toni is Anita's uncle who has mysteriously vanished due to his involvement in an earlier plot against the government. He is forced to live in hiding on the family property, constantly jumpy and terrified of being discovered by the secret police who actively hunt him.

Mundin is Anita's older brother. He desperately wants to take an active role in his father and uncle's resistance activities, but he is repeatedly told to stay behind so he can take care of the women in the family if things go wrong.

Sam is the son of the American consul. He integrates into Anita's class at the American school and quickly attracts the attention of several girls. He is initially the center of Anita's romantic fantasies before she realizes her feelings are fading.

Mr. Washburn is the American consul who moves his family into the compound next to Anita's family. His presence provides a temporary layer of protection for Anita's family, as the secret police are hesitant to cause trouble near an American diplomat.

Lorena is the family's new maid. The family heavily suspects her of being a spy planted by the secret police to monitor their activities, forcing everyone to guard their words and actions carefully in her presence. She is deeply superstitious.

Carla is Anita's cousin and classmate. Her sudden, panicked departure for New York in the middle of the night serves as the catalyst for Anita's realization that her family is in severe danger.

Miss Brown is a teacher at the American school who attempts to maintain normalcy for her students amidst the political turmoil. She tries to explain complex geopolitical issues, like international embargos, using simple classroom metaphors.

Pupo is the head of the army in the Dominican Republic. The underground resistance considers his support absolutely vital, believing they cannot successfully maintain their revolution without his public backing.

Wimpy is an imposing, muscular man with tattoos who operates a local store. Papi holds cryptic conversations with him, hinting at deeper connections to the secret political operations occurring in the background.