Bim is a middle-aged, unmarried college history instructor living in her crumbling family home in Old Delhi. She functions as the primary caregiver for her younger brother and manages the household along with an inherited dog and cat. She possesses a pragmatic, independent spirit but faces the immense pressure of supporting her family financially and emotionally. She finds herself bound to the domestic responsibilities she originally sought to avoid through her education.

Tara is the glamorous younger sister of the Das family who visits her childhood home every three years. She lives overseas as the wife of an Indian diplomat, enjoying an organized, sanitary environment that sharply contrasts with the decay of her Old Delhi origins. Beneath her poised exterior, she carries lingering guilt from her childhood and feels overwhelmed by the heavy memories associated with her family home.

Raja is the eldest Das sibling who leaves the family home to pursue a different life in Southern India. In his youth, he models himself as a Byronic hero, preferring the romanticism of Urdu poetry and Mughal history over his family's conventional middle-class existence. He eventually marries the daughter of his wealthy neighbor and mentor, securing a comfortable lifestyle that distances him from his siblings.

Baba is the youngest Das sibling, a mild-mannered man who lives with an intellectual disability. He spends his days entirely within the confines of the family compound, communicating primarily through his endless loop of decades-old Western music. The outside world terrifies him, prompting him to rely completely on the familiar routines established by his older sister.

Aunt Mira is a distant relative who moves into the Das household after becoming a teenage widow. Stripped of status in her husband's family, she functions as a surrogate mother to the neglected Das siblings, bringing much-needed affection and stability to the home. She silently bears the trauma of her early life and her highly restrictive social status.

Bakul is a successful Indian diplomat stationed in Washington, DC. He married Tara when she was eighteen and takes pride in shaping her into a sophisticated, presentable diplomatic spouse. He prefers order, bureaucracy, and surface-level interactions, frequently dismissing the messy emotional realities of his wife's family.

Hyder Ali is an affluent gentleman who maintains an impressive private library and hosts literary gatherings. He serves as an intellectual mentor to young Raja, offering him an escape from the drab Das household through Urdu language and Mughal culture.

Benazir is the wealthy daughter of Hyder Ali. She grows up in the vibrant, affluent household next door to the Das family and later becomes Raja's wife, bringing him into her family's comfortable lifestyle in Southern India.

Dr. Biswas is a young, cultured medical professional who cares for the Das family during times of illness. He takes an interest in Bim, viewing her sacrifices for her family as noble, but his traditional expectations for a wife ultimately alienate her.

Mr. Das is the patriarch of the family, a bourgeois man who owns an insurance company. He spends almost all his time at the local club rather than engaging with his children, leaving them feeling neglected and forcing them to rely on an impoverished aunt for daily care.

Mrs. Das is the mother of the four siblings. Like her husband, she prioritizes playing cards at the club over maternal duties, creating a void in the home that Aunt Mira must fill. She eventually suffers from diabetes, further distancing her from the active care of her family.

Jaya is one of the Hindu neighbors living near the Das family. She and her sisters provide Tara with a social outlet and an introduction to club life, eventually leading to Tara's escape from the Das household through marriage.

Mulk is the youngest brother in the neighboring Misra family. He is a musician who relies financially on his sisters, contributing to the general atmosphere of decayed bourgeois life in the neighborhood.