Cora is a 40-year-old African American woman who has lived her entire life in the rural Midwestern town of Melton. She is the eldest of eight children and sacrificed her education in the eighth grade to support her ailing mother and alcoholic father. She works as a maid, nanny, and laborer for the Studevants, enduring terrible treatment to keep her family fed. Caring for others, particularly the children in her life, brings her a deep sense of purpose.

Mrs. Studevant is a prominent white woman in Melton, recognized as a pillar of her local church. She manages the Studevant household and treats Cora with demanding harshness, viewing her maid as property rather than a person. She places immense value on social standing and respectability, actively pursuing campaigns of purity to rid the town of individuals she deems objectionable.

Jessie is the 19-year-old daughter of the Studevant family, described as a plump, freckled, and placid young woman. She struggles academically, lagging behind her successful older siblings and facing the constant disappointment of her mother. Away from her parents' judgmental eyes, she spends her time in the kitchen with Cora, where she reveals a witty, joyful personality and a talent for cooking.

Ma Jenkins is Cora's mother, a woman worn down by the burden of raising eight children alongside an unreliable husband. She spends most of her time ailing and quarreling about her children's whereabouts or her husband's drinking. Her chronic poor health is a primary reason Cora drops out of school to become the family's main provider.

Pa Jenkins is Cora's father, an irresponsible man who works odd jobs but fails to support his large family. He prefers drinking and telling comical lies to the town's riffraff over meeting his obligations. His negligence forces Cora to sacrifice her own youth and education to keep the family housed and fed.

Joe is a white foreigner who works at the livery stable in the rural town. He enters a romantic relationship with Cora, providing her with a brief period of affection in her otherwise grueling life.

Josephine is Cora's daughter, a child who brings immense joy and a deep sense of purpose to her mother's life. She grows up alongside the Studevants' youngest daughter, though the racial barriers of the town eventually force the two toddlers apart.

Mr. Studevant is the patriarch of the white family that employs Cora. He is often away working or detached from the household's emotional center, having no real bond with his youngest daughter, Jessie.

He is a Greek immigrant living in the area who enters a relationship with Jessie. His status as a foreigner makes him unacceptable to the deeply prejudiced Mrs. Studevant.