Uma is the gray-haired eldest daughter of a wealthy Indian family, living a confined, servile existence in her parents' home. She struggles with academic limitations, failing her exams at the convent school she adores, and faces repeated rejections in the arranged marriage market. Despite her restricted life, she seeks moments of joy and independence through poetry, religious outings, and rare social events. Because she lacks any approved outlets for her frustration, she occasionally resorts to dramatic physical fits when her desires are completely suppressed.

Arun is the youngest child and only son of Mama and Papa, born late in their lives and immediately granted immense privilege accompanied by crushing pressure. Raised as a strict vegetarian, his childhood in India consists of relentless academic tutoring aimed at securing a foreign scholarship. Upon reaching college in Massachusetts, he experiences his first taste of freedom through self-imposed isolation, only to find himself thrust into another uncomfortable domestic situation when forced to board with an American family for the summer.

Papa is a semi-retired, successful lawyer who rules his household with absolute authority. Coming from a modest background, he uses his education and his preference for meat to signal his elevated social status. He refuses to peel his own fruit, demands rapid service from his staff, and treats the women in his family as subjects meant to cater entirely to his personal comfort and social image.

Mama comes from a large urban merchant family but has fully assimilated into her husband's authoritarian structure, acting in complete lockstep with his decisions. She enforces the household rules, meticulously preparing Papa's fruit and managing the servants, while keeping her own small pleasures like playing rummy with neighbors hidden. She prioritizes her son's needs above all else, often restricting her daughters to maintain domestic order.

Aruna is Uma's beautiful, intelligent, and highly successful younger sister. She possesses a relentless perfectionism and leverages her numerous marriage offers to select a wealthy, flashy husband, securing a glamorous life in Bombay. When she visits her childhood home, she adopts an attitude of arrogant superiority, criticizing her family's provincial habits and treating her older sister with patronizing disdain.

Mira-masi is a widowed distant relative who spends her later years traveling across India on religious pilgrimages. Deeply devout and uncompromising in her Hindu faith, she views the world through a spiritual lens that bewilders Mama and Papa but enchants Uma. She follows her own strict ascetic diet and answers only to her religious calling, openly defying conventional social expectations to pursue her devotions.

Anamika is Papa's niece, representing the pinnacle of grace, beauty, and academic brilliance in the extended family. She earns a prestigious scholarship to Oxford University, but her parents use this accomplishment merely to secure an arranged marriage with an arrogant, highly educated older man. Her perfection and gentle nature offer a sharp contrast to the harsh realities of the marriage market she is forced to enter.

Mrs. Joshi is a bubbly, bright neighbor who runs a joyful and abundant household. Following the death of her tyrannical mother-in-law, she gains full authority over her home and raises her children with remarkable freedom, allowing her daughters to pursue independent careers. Her loving marriage and flourishing garden provide a direct contrast to the sterile, rigid environment of Mama and Papa's home.

Mr. Patton is the patriarch of the Massachusetts family hosting Arun for the summer. He attempts to enforce a traditional, idealized image of the American family through baseball games and heavy meat consumption, remaining utterly disengaged from the emotional realities of his household. He responds to anything outside his narrow worldview with cold disapproval.

Mrs. Patton is an enthusiastic but deeply unsatisfied American suburbanite who seeks meaning through rampant consumerism and temporary fads. She endlessly fills her shopping carts with food her family will not eat, moving quickly from sunbathing to astrology to vegetarianism. She forms an awkward, superficial bond with Arun over their shared avoidance of meat, though she fundamentally misunderstands his culture.

Melanie is the sullen, angry teenage daughter of the Patton family. She isolates herself in front of the television, consuming massive quantities of candy and peanuts while harboring deep resentment toward her mother's superficial fads. She copes with her family's emotional neglect through a secretive and destructive relationship with food.

Rod is the muscular, athletic son of the Patton family who dedicates his entire existence to physical perfection. He spends his days endlessly jogging and lifting weights in pursuit of a football scholarship, effectively using his extreme fitness regimen as a shield to avoid engaging with his dysfunctional family.

Ramu is the black sheep nephew of Mama and Papa. He openly mocks conventional customs and delights in ruffling his aunt and uncle's rigid feathers. He brings a rare burst of joy and freedom into Uma's life by taking her out for an unaccompanied dinner at the Carlton, though he eventually bends to Papa's authority when commanded.

Ayah is the family's senior servant who has worked for the household since Uma was three years old. She treats Uma with casual intimacy, still calling her "Baby," while performing elaborate, fearful displays of busywork to placate Papa and Mama. She frequently uses emotional manipulation to acquire cast-off clothing from Uma.

Dr. Dutt is a professional woman who recognizes Uma's need for purpose and attempts to provide her with an independent career opportunity. She offers Uma a job managing trainees, presenting a rare chance for life outside the family compound, but she is ultimately deceived by Mama and Papa's falsehoods.

Harish is a middle-aged man in the pharmaceutical business whose arranged marriage to Uma is driven entirely by financial motives. He leaves her at his family's modest home while he focuses his attention on his struggling factory in Meerut.

Arvind is Aruna's wealthy, flashy, and handsome husband. He provides Aruna with a glamorous, modern life in Bombay, though he is frequently subjected to her sharp tongue and relentless perfectionism during their rare visits to her childhood home.

Mother Agnes is the headmistress of the convent school Uma desperately wishes to attend. Instead of advocating for Uma's continued education, she reinforces the patriarchal decision of Uma's parents, telling the girl to embrace the feminine duty of child-rearing.