Gan is an adolescent human boy living on an alien planet where Terrans reside on a preserve protected by the native Tlic. Raised with special privileges and spared from hard labor, he is physically delicate and deeply trusting of the alien species. He has been raised from birth to become an N'Tlic, a human host for the eggs of a prominent Tlic official.

Lien is Gan's mother and the head of her Terran household. She once shared a close bond with the Tlic leadership but has grown bitter over the reality of the human-Tlic arrangement. She refuses to consume the life-prolonging unfertilized eggs that are provided as a privilege to their family.

T'Gatoi is an influential official among the Tlic, a native alien species that resembles giant, multi-limbed insects. She is politically powerful and responsible for managing human breeding on the preserve. She displays a possessive affection for Gan, maintaining a gentle but inherently coercive dominance over him.

Lynn is a university student and a carrier of the Duryea-Gode Disease (DGD), a genetic condition that causes sufferers to become violently self-destructive. Because she is the daughter of two DGD-positive parents, she produces a unique scent that exerts a calming influence over other patients. She struggles with the intense social stigma surrounding her condition.

Alan is a Nigerian student who shares Lynn's diagnosis. Sullen and deeply fearful of the disease's progression, he approaches his future with fatalistic despair. He fiercely guards his bodily autonomy and strongly resists any system or person that attempts to control him.

Valerie Rye is a former history professor and freelance author surviving in a world where a mysterious illness has destroyed humanity's ability to read, write, and speak. Having lost her entire family to the disease, she is deeply lonely and hardened by the daily violence around her. She retains the rare ability to speak fluently but hides it to avoid provoking deadly jealousy in others.

Obsidian is a bearded former police officer who patrols the dangerous streets in his vehicle. Unlike most survivors, he retains the ability to read and write, though he cannot speak or understand spoken language. He uses his remaining authority to try and maintain order in a chaotic, violent society.

Noah Cannon is an African-American woman who serves as a translator and liaison between humanity and the alien Communities. Kidnapped and experimented on by the aliens as a child, she later suffered torture at the hands of human authorities. Despite this trauma, she advocates for peaceful coexistence and finds deep comfort in the physical embrace of the alien entities.

Martha Bes is a poor, black woman and professional fiction writer who suddenly finds herself in a divine audience. She is tasked by God with redesigning human nature to prevent the species from destroying itself. She struggles with the immense responsibility, terrified of making a mistake that could inadvertently ruin humanity.

God is a divine entity who brings Martha into a shapeless realm to assign her a monumental task. God changes physical appearance throughout their conversation, reflecting Martha's evolving consciousness and rejection of traditional power dynamics. God acts as a sounding board, pointing out the flaws in Martha's initial utopian ideas.

Octavia Butler is the author and narrator of the collection's autobiographical essays. She recounts her journey from a timid, bookish child to a determined professional writer. Facing severe racial and gender barriers, she relies on a positive obsession with writing to survive menial jobs, publisher rejections, and societal prejudices.

Qui is Gan's older brother. Unlike his sibling, Qui harbors a deep-seated fear and loathing of the Tlic. His terror stems from a childhood incident where he witnessed the gruesome reality of the alien birthing process, causing him to resent Gan's favored status.

Bram Lomas is a human N'Tlic who arrives at Gan's home in desperate need of assistance. He is pregnant with an alien brood that is preparing to hatch, and his physical distress provides a terrifying glimpse into the realities of the human-Tlic symbiosis.

T'Khotgif is a Tlic official and the alien sponsor responsible for Bram Lomas. She struggles to reach him in time for the extraction of her brood.

Beatrice is a senior staff member at the Dilg ward for DGD patients. Like Lynn, she is the offspring of two DGD-positive parents and possesses the biological ability to coax patients out of their destructive fugues. She uses her authority to channel the patients' manic energy into art and attempts to recruit others to her cause.

Naomi is Alan's mother and a severe DGD sufferer. She resides in a specialized facility where her violent impulses are carefully redirected into creative pursuits, though she remains constantly on the edge of relapsing into self-harm.

Michelle is one of the six human recruits selected to train as a translator for the alien Communities. Desperate for work in an economically depressed world, she is willing to brave contact with the intimidating extraterrestrials.

Sorrel is a human recruit training to become a liaison for the alien Communities. Like his peers, he harbors deep suspicions about the alien invaders but is driven by economic necessity to accept the dangerous job.

Samuel Delany is a real-life science fiction author whom Octavia Butler looks up to during her formative years. He serves as a crucial point of representation for her in a genre completely devoid of black authors.