Celia is the matriarch of the del Pino family, living on the northern coast of Cuba. She is a fiercely loyal communist who dedicates her time to revolutionary projects like harvesting sugar cane and judging neighborhood disputes. She harbors a lifelong, consuming love for a Spanish man who left her years ago. Her devotion to Fidel Castro and the socialist cause creates distance between her and her anti-communist family members.

Lourdes is Celia's daughter and the owner of the Yankee Doodle Bakery in New York. She fled Cuba with her husband and daughter after experiencing violent trauma during the revolution's early property seizures. She channels her energy into running her business and patrolling her neighborhood as an auxiliary policewoman. Her staunchly pro-American, anti-communist stance places her in direct opposition to her mother.

Felicia is Celia's daughter who remains in Cuba. She works at a beauty salon and struggles to manage her volatile mental health. Rather than adopting her mother's political zeal, she finds meaning and community in the Afro-Cuban religious traditions of Santería. She often retreats into her mind, listening to records to soothe her intrusive thoughts.

Pilar is Lourdes's teenage daughter, a talented artist deeply involved in New York's punk rock scene. She rebels against her mother's conservative values and controlling behavior. Though raised in the United States, she feels a spiritual pull toward Cuba and frequently senses the presence of her grandmother across the ocean. She channels her frustrations into her paintings and bass playing.

Jorge is Celia's husband and the father to Lourdes, Felicia, and Javier. He travels frequently for his work with an American electronics firm prior to the revolution. He harbors deep resentment toward his wife's lingering feelings for another man — an anger that leads him to leave her with his spiteful relatives early in their marriage. He eventually moves to New York to seek medical treatment for cancer.

Ivanito is Felicia's youngest child. He is a gifted language student who excels in Russian and teaches himself English from his grandfather's old textbooks. He is an empathetic boy who stays closer to his mother than his sisters do, often dancing with her during her manic episodes.

Luz is one of Felicia's twin daughters. She relies heavily on her sister for emotional support to handle her mother's unpredictable behavior. She is a dedicated student who hopes that education will provide a way to become independent and eventually leave her turbulent home life behind.

Milagro is Felicia's other twin daughter. She shares her sister's pragmatic view of their family situation and focuses on her studies at boarding school. She remembers the darker moments of her mother's illness and warns her younger brother not to trust sudden bursts of domestic energy.

Gustavo is a visiting Spaniard who engages in a brief romance with Celia before the revolution. He returns to Spain without her, leaving behind a pair of drop pearl earrings. He remains a distant, idealized figure in Celia's mind for decades.

Rufino is Lourdes's husband and Pilar's father. He comes from a wealthy, landed Cuban family that loses its estate during the revolution. In New York, he struggles to adapt to exile, preferring to spend his time puttering around his workshop rather than integrating into city life.

Hugo is Felicia's estranged husband. He is a merchant marine who frequently abandons his family for long stretches at sea. He brings violence and disease into his marriage, ultimately driving Felicia to take desperate defensive measures against him.

Herminia is Felicia's lifelong best friend and the daughter of a santero. She introduces Felicia to the Afro-Cuban religion of Santería, providing her with a spiritual framework outside of the communist state. She remains a loyal companion despite Celia's disapproval of their friendship.

Javier is Celia and Jorge's only son. He comes of age during the revolution and shares his mother's enthusiasm for Fidel Castro's regime. He leaves Cuba to live in communist Czechoslovakia, where he works as a university professor and starts a family.

La Madrina is a Santería priestess who guides religious ceremonies in Cuba. She assists Herminia and Felicia in their spiritual practices, leading prayers to the Orishas and overseeing animal sacrifices.