Pearl is a fiercely independent and volatile matriarch who raises her three children alone in Baltimore after her husband leaves. She seals her house up against the outside world, creating an isolated environment that deeply impacts her children. Blind and ailing in her later years, she maintains a combative but devoted relationship with her family.

Cody is the competitive and successful eldest sibling of the Tull family. He builds a lucrative career in business and acquires a large farm, hoping to outpace the unstable childhood his father caused. He harbors a lifelong, bitter jealousy toward his younger brother, constantly comparing his own achievements against his brother's quiet contentment.

Ezra is the clumsy, introverted, and emotionally intuitive middle child. Drafted into the army and discharged for sleepwalking, he finds his true calling working in the kitchen at Scarlatti's. He possesses an exceptional ability to forgive and routinely blames himself for conflicts, constantly trying to force his fractured family to share a peaceful meal together.

Jenny is the ambitious youngest child who studies fiercely to become a pediatrician. She leaves the suffocating atmosphere of her mother's house as quickly as possible. Despite her success in medical school, she struggles to form lasting romantic attachments, resulting in a string of complex marriages and a blended family.

Beck is a salesman who marries Pearl late in her youth and struggles to provide stability. In 1944, he abruptly decides he no longer wants to be married and abandons the family, sending only meager financial support and occasional letters. His absence casts a permanent shadow over his children's development.

Mrs. Scarlatti is the strict but caring owner of a local Baltimore restaurant. Having endured a bad marriage and the loss of her own son in the Korean War, she takes Ezra under her wing. She teaches him the restaurant business but possesses rigid ideas about how her establishment should be run.

Ruth is a pragmatic, rural-born chef with a sharp, unglamorous appearance. She finds a comfortable rhythm working alongside Ezra until she becomes the target of Cody's aggressive, obsessive courtship, forever altering the family dynamic.

Luke is the quiet, observant son of Cody and Ruth. He spends his childhood being dragged from city to city due to his father's work, leaving him isolated and friendless. He becomes a focal point for his father's deep-seated anxieties and family jealousies.

Josiah is an unusually tall young man with learning difficulties. He depends heavily on Ezra's friendship, especially after the death of his parents. He faces bullying in his workplace and seeks quiet connections with the Tull family.

Harley is a brilliant but highly critical intellectual who attends medical school alongside Jenny. His rigid, exacting nature makes him a difficult partner to live with.

Joe is a pediatrician who meets Jenny when his previous wife leaves him. He brings six children into his marriage with Jenny, creating a massive, noisy household that forces Jenny to adapt her rigid routines.

Slevin is Joe's eldest son from a previous marriage. Deeply affected by his parents' divorce, he acts out by cutting school and stealing bizarre household items, including a vacuum cleaner and an umbrella stand.

Sam is Jenny's second husband, whom she elopes with shortly after her first marriage dissolves. He ultimately abandons her during her pregnancy, leaving her to finish medical school as a single mother.