Verónica is a 17-year-old Peruvian immigrant living in Central Florida who dreams of becoming a professional mermaid. Born with hip dysplasia, she relies on swimming to strengthen her body and ease her chronic pain. She actively desires personal autonomy but feels constantly limited by her disability and her parents' protective rules.

Mami is Verónica and Dani's mother, a Peruvian immigrant who recently secured permanent residency in the United States. She runs her household with strict rules because she constantly fears losing her family's legal status. Even with her strictness, she shares elements of her culture with her daughters, specifically through traditional stories.

Papi is Verónica and Dani's father, an immigrant from Peru who works hard to secure his family's position in Florida. He expects his daughters to pursue practical careers and vocalizes strong opposition to Verónica's interest in Mermaid Cove. He operates with a deep suspicion of teenage romance and male attention.

Alex is a teenager who recently relocated to Florida from Texas following his parents' divorce. He quickly notices Verónica at the apartment complex and requests a tour of the grounds to get to know her. Managing clinical depression with therapy and medication gives him a grounded perspective on feelings of powerlessness.

Leslie is Verónica's best friend. She approaches life with bold confidence and refuses to treat Verónica differently because of her medical history. While she shares her friend's appreciation for mermaid culture, she prefers supporting from the sidelines rather than performing.

Dani is Verónica's 14-year-old sister who approaches daily life with high physical energy. She completely supports her older sister's dream of performing at Mermaid Cove, even organizing practice locations. However, she occasionally resents the disproportionate amount of parental focus directed at Verónica's health.

Lila is a senior performer at Mermaid Cove whose personal history is closely tied to the attraction. She acts as an informal guide for the newer performers, demonstrating physical maneuvers and teaching the technical aspects of underwater performance.

Geoff is an employee at Mermaid Cove who loves the boundless mythology surrounding mermaids. He works enthusiastically with the performers but faces restrictions from management regarding male participation in the actual costumed shows.

Tanya is Leslie's older sister and a recently hired performer at Mermaid Cove. She uses her position to inform her sister and Verónica about upcoming summer auditions, offering practical coaching to help Verónica prepare for the physical test.

Barb is the director and head manager of the Mermaid Cove shows. As a former performer from the park's early decades, she enforces strict, outdated standards on her employees to maintain what she considers the classic illusion of the attraction.

Hallie is a performer at Mermaid Cove. Unlike the majority of the team, she acts somewhat aloof and creates tension by pushing past people's boundaries regarding their personal lives and physical appearances.

Val is an active member of the Mermaid Cove performance crew. She joined the profession primarily because she was inspired by animated movies about mermaids, bringing a pop-culture enthusiasm to the physically demanding job.

Jeremy is a local teenager who previously cornered and assaulted Verónica. During the assault, he cruelly mocked her physical differences, leaving her with lasting emotional scars and causing a severe rift in how her parents view her behavior.

Jason is a teenager who lives in a gated community next to the Palmview Lakes apartments. He is friendly and accommodating, allowing Dani's group to practice in his private pool when their own facility closes for maintenance.

Alice is the newly hired property manager at the Palmview Lakes complex. She recently moved from Texas with her teenage son and focuses her energy entirely on enforcing new security measures and upgrading the property's failing amenities.

Bob works as the security guard at the Palmview Lakes apartment complex. He patrols the grounds regularly, assigns tasks to residents when needed, and strictly implements the new manager's rules regarding facility access.