Aunt Ester is a 285-year-old formerly enslaved woman who serves as the matriarch of 1839 Wylie Avenue and the spiritual leader of the Hill District community. She is known as a washer of souls, helping formerly enslaved people and their children find spiritual peace and process historical trauma. Though she claims only God can wash souls, she provides crucial guidance and wisdom to those seeking her help. She heads a chosen family consisting of her caretaker Eli and housekeeper Black Mary Wilks.

Citizen Barlow is a young man who migrates to Pittsburgh from Alabama, wearing heavy farm boots that mark him as a new arrival to the urban North. Employed briefly at the local tin mill, he experiences profound guilt and a spiritual void following the death of a coworker. Desperate for relief from his inner turmoil, he seeks out Aunt Ester's help to cleanse his soul. He struggles to find his footing in a northern city where exploitative labor practices replicate southern oppression.

Solly is a 67-year-old formerly enslaved man who makes his living selling dog excrement to local tanners and gardeners. A former conductor on the Underground Railroad alongside Eli, he dedicates his life to the freedom and well-being of Black people. He carries a link of the chain that once bound his ankle as a reminder of his past and his inner strength. He plans to return to Alabama to rescue his sister Eliza from the oppressive Jim Crow South.

Black Mary is the housekeeper for Aunt Ester and acts as a surrogate daughter and spiritual apprentice to the elderly matriarch. She refuses to let others dictate her actions or her romantic life. She provides a grounding presence in the household at 1839 Wylie Avenue, often bickering with Aunt Ester about chores while sharing a deep affection for her. She strongly disapproves of her brother Caesar Wilks and his actions as a police officer.

Caesar is the brother of Black Mary Wilks and serves as a local constable, baker, and landlord in the Hill District. Viewing himself as a prominent figure in the neighborhood, he enforces laws that frequently oppress his fellow Black citizens, arresting individuals for minor infractions or for appearing poor. He embraces capitalism and stringent law enforcement, strictly adhering to legal codes without regard for morality or the struggles of his community.

Eli is Aunt Ester's dedicated caretaker and a core member of the household at 1839 Wylie Avenue. A former conductor on the Underground Railroad and scout for the Union Army, he shares a long history of fighting for liberation with his friend Solly Two Kings (David and Solomon). He protects Aunt Ester and actively participates in her spiritual healing ceremonies, viewing his service to her as his life's work.

Rutherford Selig is a local itinerant peddler who supplies the residents of 1839 Wylie Avenue with kitchen wares and household goods. As a white man who moves freely through the area, he brings news from the broader city, including reports of mill closures and racial tensions. He maintains a friendly, transactional relationship with Aunt Ester's household.

Garret Brown is a tin mill worker born to enslaved parents in South Carolina before fleeing north. Falsely accused of stealing a bucket of nails, he chooses to jump into the river rather than be arrested by Caesar Wilks. His tragic death acts as the catalyst for the workers' strike at the mill and drives Citizen Barlow to seek out spiritual cleansing.

Eliza remains trapped in the Jim Crow South. She desperately wishes to migrate to the North to find true freedom but is prevented from leaving by white locals who establish roadblocks to retain Black labor. Her plight motivates her brother's desire to travel back to Alabama.

Percy Saunders is a local man who courts Black Mary Wilks. Aunt Ester suspects Black Mary is going out to see him and warns that the community might judge her for having multiple romantic interests at once.