Moon is an educated, 25-year-old woman living on the Calle de los Negros in the violent, dusty pueblo of Los Angeles. She assists her husband, Dr. Gene Tong, with his traditional Chinese medical practice by translating and mediating between him and his white patients. Living with a permanent foot injury from a childhood infection, she feels deeply self-conscious about her inability to conceive a child. She is observant, compassionate, and acutely aware of the racial hostility surrounding their community.

Originally known as "Worthless Girl," Petal is an 18-year-old peasant woman from a starving farming village in China. Her father sells her to a criminal organization, and she is trafficked to California for sexual exploitation. Despite her horrific circumstances and the brutal conditions of her captivity at the Midnight Garden brothel, she maintains a defiant spirit. She draws quiet strength from her agricultural upbringing and her connection to the earth.

Dove is a 17-year-old scholar's daughter from Canton, renowned for her exquisite physical features. Raised in a sheltered environment, she travels to Los Angeles expecting a life of comfort and romance as the second wife of a successful businessman. Her bound feet restrict her mobility, making her physically vulnerable in the harsh frontier environment where men view her beauty purely as a commodity.

Gene is a respected practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine in Los Angeles. He successfully treats both Chinese and white patients using herbal remedies and diagnostic techniques like pulse reading. Optimistic about his future in America, he wears Western suits but maintains his cultural practices, effectively bridging the gap between his community and the rough frontier society.

Sam Yuen is the suave, polished, and educated leader of the Nin Yung Tong gang in Los Angeles. He acts as a protective escort for Dove upon her arrival while simultaneously purchasing Petal at a human auction. He is a calculating criminal businessman who controls local vice rackets, treating women purely as commodities to assert his wealth and dominance.

Headman Yo Hing is the leader of the Hong Chow Tong and a fierce rival of Sam Yuen. He is brutish and openly menacing, constantly seeking ways to undermine his enemies in the city's criminal underworld. Driven by a personal obsession with fathering a son, he treats women as interchangeable assets to be acquired by force or intimidation.

Old Man Sing is a wealthy, elderly merchant. Despite Dove's romantic expectations, he is bald, fat, and deeply traditional. He views his new, beautiful young wife purely as an object to display his wealth and status, quickly demonstrating a possessive and jealous nature by severely restricting her movements.

Auntie Fong is the pragmatic manager of the Midnight Garden brothel, working directly under Headman Sam. She enforces his rules and oversees the daily routines of the captives. Though she appears to be an unsentimental enforcer of a cruel system, she occasionally shows small moments of practical sympathy for the women under her control.

Three-Finger Lee is the chief enforcer and henchman for the Hong Chow Tong. He is fiercely loyal to Headman Yo Hing and carries out his violent orders, often using physical intimidation and coercion to control those weaker than him.

Silver Shimmer is the wife of Headman Yo Hing. She possesses a beautiful face but suffers from a severely twisted spine. Burdened by societal expectations and her multiple miscarriages, she fiercely guards her position and security within the patriarchal system.

Ah Guey is Dove's older brother. He fulfills the terms of her marriage contract by escorting her across the Pacific Ocean, providing her with comfort and familiar stories before handing her over to her new life in California.

Lily is one of the young women trafficked to the United States on the same ship as Petal. She is forced into sexual servitude at the brothel, where she bonds closely with the other captives as they try to endure their circumstances.

Mrs. Grascy is a white woman living in Los Angeles who seeks out traditional Chinese medicine for her fatigue and ailments. Despite relying on Dr. Gene Tong's expertise, she remains openly suspicious and holds discriminatory views against the local Chinese residents.

Jack is the ten-year-old son of Mrs. Grascy. He is ill-mannered and disrespectful during his mother's appointments, reflecting the growing racial divide and hostility present in the frontier town.

Gim is the brother of Dr. Gene Tong. He lives in the Chinese community of Los Angeles, facing the same growing tensions and daily hostilities as his brother and sister-in-law.

Cayetano Apablasa is a silver-adorned Mexican man living near the Calle de los Negros. He is a kind and helpful local resident who assists the newly arrived Chinese immigrants when they encounter trouble on the road.