Frank is a 24-year-old Black Korean War veteran suffering from severe trauma and poor mental health. Raised in the rural, impoverished town of Lotus, Georgia, he joined the integrated army to escape his suffocating hometown. Protective by nature, he travels across the segregated United States to rescue his younger sister, battling his painful memories and societal racism along the way.

Cee is Frank's younger sister, born on the road during her family's eviction from Texas. Having grown up sheltered by her brother and verbally abused by her step-grandmother, she lacks defenses and life experience. Naive and trusting, she seeks independence and a better life in Atlanta, where her gullibility places her in physical danger.

Lenore is Frank and Cee's step-grandmother, a strict and embittered woman who values financial security above affection. Left relatively wealthy by her first husband, she marries Salem Money for companionship but resents housing his impoverished family. She specifically targets young Cee with her cruelty, calling her a gutter child and providing poor nourishment.

Dr. Beauregard Scott is a wealthy Atlanta physician specializing in women's health. Though he presents a formal, respectable demeanor to Cee and appears compassionate about providing local charity care, he harbors a dark scientific fascination with women's bodies. His bookshelves contain texts on race science and eugenics, hinting at his predatory medical practices.

Salem is the paternal grandfather of Frank and Cee. Elderly and unemployable, he relies entirely on his wife Lenore for shelter and financial security. He ignores Lenore's harsh treatment of his grandchildren to maintain his own comfortable living situation.

Lily is Frank's stylish and practical girlfriend in Chicago. She works as a seamstress and diligently saves her money with the singular goal of buying a home in a respectable neighborhood. She struggles to handle Frank's war trauma and erratic behavior, finding his dependency frustrating and limiting.

Prince is an opportunistic, sweet-talking man from Atlanta who courts the naive Cee shortly after Frank enlists in the army. Armed with a big-city accent and shiny shoes, he uses his charm to marry Cee with the hidden motive of stealing the Money family's prized automobile.

Sarah is the stout, maternal housekeeper at Dr. Beauregard's residence. She feeds and befriends Cee, serving as her primary confidante in the unfamiliar city of Atlanta. Recognizing the fatal danger of the doctor's practices, she takes a significant personal risk to send Frank an urgent letter pleading for him to rescue his sister.

The little Korean girl is a starving, missing-toothed child who regularly searches for scraps near the soldiers' post. Left-handed and chronically hungry, she initially reminds Frank of himself and his sister as children. Her interactions with the soldiers become a source of profound trauma and lasting guilt for Frank.

Luther and Ida are Frank and Cee's parents. Overworked and exhausted by extreme poverty, they spend their days doing agricultural labor to pay rent and keep the family fed. Their constant physical exhaustion leaves them emotionally distant and largely absent from their children's daily upbringing.

Miss Ethel is a practical and pious matriarch in the Lotus community. Drawing on traditional rural healing methods passed down through generations, she works tirelessly with other local women to nurse Cee back to health. She provides the tough love and discipline that Cee's sheltered upbringing lacked.

Jackie is a twelve-year-old neighborhood girl who helps the aging Lenore Money with household tasks. She eventually stops visiting after Lenore mistreats her new puppy, leaving the older woman entirely alone.

Billy is a hospitable resident of Chicago who takes Frank in temporarily during his journey south. Understanding the dangers Black men face from the police, he insists on taking Frank shopping for respectable clothes so his scruffy appearance does not draw dangerous attention.

Reverend Locke is a compassionate church leader who provides immediate sanctuary to Frank after he flees the mental hospital ward. He equips Frank with practical aid, including a pair of galoshes, and directs him to safe contacts for his journey.

Fish Eye is an old friend of Salem Money in Lotus. He helps fill in the gaps regarding the dark history of the local land, recounting community rumors about brutal underground fights organized for entertainment.

Thelma is Cee's friend and housemate in Atlanta. When Cee needs more money than her restaurant job provides, Thelma connects her with the opportunity to work as Dr. Beauregard's assistant, inadvertently placing Cee in the doctor's path.

Mike is one of Frank's best buddies from the integrated army ranks in Korea. His gruesome death in combat deeply scars Frank, who frequently hallucinates Mike's presence upon returning to civilian life.

Stuff is another of Frank's close friends and fellow soldiers who died brutally during the Korean War. The loss of Stuff compounds Frank's survivor's guilt and drives his determination to protect his remaining family.