Haley is an eleven-year-old girl with light-brown skin and distinctive red hair. She lives in Brooklyn with her uncle while her father serves time in a prison in Malone, New York. Introspective and observant, she asks her uncle for a voice recorder to document the stories of her classmates in the ARTT room. Through listening to others, she gradually builds the courage to vocalize her own complex family history.

Holly is Haley's energetic and talkative best friend. She comes from a financially comfortable family, which occasionally leads to her classmates calling her a "rich girl." Despite her physical struggles to sit still and concentrate, she actively pushes Haley to open up about her fears. She shares her belongings freely and defends her friends without hesitation.

Amari is an outgoing Black student who frequently sketches comic book characters in his notebook. Behind his classroom jokes, he carries a heavy awareness of societal issues, specifically expressing his fears regarding racial profiling and police violence. He initiates the group's deeper conversations about freedom and insists on making a twenty-year reunion pact.

Ashton is the only White student in his fifth-grade class, having moved to Brooklyn from Connecticut after his father lost his job. He has pale skin and endures physical bullying from older students outside the school building. His relocation forces him to think critically about his racial identity, prompting tense but educational conversations with his new friends.

Esteban is a student of Dominican descent whose family faces an immediate crisis when his father is detained at a Florida immigration facility. He brings his father's handwritten poetry into the classroom, translating the Spanish verses into English for his peers. He records his family's struggles onto Haley's device, helping unite the students through his vulnerability.

Tiago is a quiet Puerto Rican student who struggles with the discrimination his family faces for speaking Spanish in public. He prefers writing and speaking in Spanish and mourns the loss of his protective dog, Perrito. He uses the unsupervised classroom time to safely express his frustrations about prejudice while physically escorting his friends to protect them from bullies.

Ms. Laverne is the classroom teacher for the six students with special learning needs. Recognizing the heavy emotional burdens her students carry, she guides them to an unused art room. She gives them the final hour of every Friday to talk completely unsupervised, offering them a space free from adult intervention.

Haley's uncle is her primary guardian while her father remains incarcerated. He plays the guitar, tells Haley bedtime stories, and drives her several hours to Malone, New York, for prison visits. He provides Haley with daily stability and shares vital memories about her deceased mother.

Haley's father is a musician who has been incarcerated since Haley was three years old following a fatal car accident. He communicates through letters and struggles with shame during visiting hours. As his release date approaches, he attempts to rebuild a connection with his daughter through their shared love of music.

Beryl is Haley's deceased mother, who passed away in a car crash when Haley was a toddler. A Black woman from Brooklyn who loved to sing, she leaves a lasting physical legacy in Haley's red hair. Her past friendships and musical habits provide Haley with a framework for understanding her own identity.

Esteban's father is a hardworking immigrant from the Dominican Republic who is detained in a Florida facility. He works at a factory sealing video games in plastic but previously dreamed of playing baseball. He mails his son poems that inspire the classroom with messages of resilience.

Kira is Holly's mother who frequently hosts Haley for sleepovers and pizza dinners. She helps Haley care for her natural hair because Haley's uncle struggles with the styling. She shares a meaningful connection with Haley's past, having taken Lamaze classes with Haley's mother before the girls were born.