Máximo is a middle-aged, widowed Cuban immigrant living in Miami. Before the revolution, he was a respected professor at the University of Havana, but upon emigrating, he lost his professional credentials and status. To survive, he reinvented himself alongside his wife as a restaurateur. He frequently uses humor and tells tragicomic jokes to cope with his profound sense of dislocation and loss.

Joaquin is a charismatic and energetic young man nicknamed "The German" due to his fair skin and unusual physical strength. In Cuba, he was deeply involved in the student revolutionary movement and organized political marches. Different people in his life hold contradictory memories of his personality, portraying him variously as a gifted performer, a serious intellectual, and a troubled figure.

Ernesto is a Cuban immigrant who was close friends with Joaquin before the revolution disrupted their lives. He carries heavy emotional burdens related to political strife and the imprisonment of his brother. He grows weary of the romanticized storytelling at the party, wishing instead for a concrete and undeniable truth.

Lisette is a journalist and the daughter of Cuban immigrants who grew up in Miami. Her parents represent opposing sides of Cuban political exile, giving her a complex heritage. She travels to Cuba hoping to find her mother's childhood home and establish a tangible connection to her identity, though she struggles with feelings of disconnection in both her personal life and cultural roots.

Raúl is a Cuban immigrant who was neighbors with Máximo in pre-revolutionary Havana. Married to Matilde, he spends little time at home, working fourteen-hour days in Miami. He participates regularly in domino games with his friends and struggles with recurring nightmares following a personal loss.

The Old Uncle in Havana is an eccentric and imposing figure who lives in a crumbling house in Cuba. His relatives in Miami obsess over him, keeping a scratched photograph of him in a dark closet. He serves as an allegorical representation of Fidel Castro, illustrating the pervasive and inescapable influence the regime holds over the minds of Cuban exiles.

Matilde is a middle-aged Cuban immigrant who relocated to Miami as a young mother to join her husband, Raúl. Overwhelmed by the changes in her life and her husband's frequent absences, she channels her anxiety into cooking and baking. She struggles to accept that her adult son is growing independent and pulling away from her.

Anselmo is the adult son of Matilde and Raúl, working as a pilot who flies rescue missions. He is married to an American woman named Meegan. He suffers from intense anxiety, jealousy, and insomnia, obsessively overanalyzing his wife's casual interactions with other men.

Meegan is Anselmo's American wife. She has a calm, placid demeanor and sleeps soundly through the night, a trait her anxious husband misinterprets as a lack of passion. She maintains casual friendships with other men, inadvertently triggering Anselmo's insecurities.

Hortencia is an imposing, beautiful woman born to a wealthy Havana aristocratic family. She married her husband, Felipe, largely to spite her parents. Now living a humble life in Miami, she behaves theatrically and frequently expresses regret over her perceived wasted potential and lost youth.

Felipe is a failed writer who works at Máximo's restaurant. He lacks the money and education of his aristocratic wife, Hortencia, creating a dynamic of unequal affection and resentment in their marriage. Despite her constant criticisms, he finds solace in typing stories on his typewriter.

Clarita is a young woman who works alongside Felipe at Máximo's restaurant. She suffers from intense anxiety after her husband, Orlandito, leaves Cuba on a raft. To cope with her fears and insecurities regarding his motivations, she turns to a mixture of Catholic prayers and Yoruba religious traditions.

Orlandito is Clarita's husband, an artist who decides to leave Cuba on a raft during the 1994 crisis. He is described by his wife as exceptionally handsome. His sudden departure leaves Clarita questioning his true motivations and the depth of his love for her.

Mirta is a woman who spends her time gathering stories and memories about her family's past. As a child, she waited on a beach in Havana with her mother for her father, who never arrived. As an adult, she attends the welcome party at Máximo's restaurant, seeking information from the guests about Joaquin.

Rosa is Máximo's wife. Upon arriving in Miami, she worked tirelessly alongside him to build a successful restaurant business from scratch, providing food to laborers. Her memory, and her eventual illness, cast a long and painful shadow over Máximo's later life.

Erminio is Lisette's ex-husband and the son of Cuban immigrants. He is a poet who often used Lisette's news articles as inspiration for his writing. He loved Lisette deeply, but his intense affection and reliance on the past made her feel suffocated.

Lisette's Mother is a Cuban exile from a wealthy, land-owning family that fled Castro's regime. She frequently describes her former family home in grand, romanticized terms, complete with a marble fireplace and gardenias. She strongly disapproves of her daughter's decision to visit Cuba.

Matún is a Cuban man who previously worked for Lisette's grandparents. Following the revolution, the government granted him and his wife, Alicia, the land. He acts as the caretaker of the property and cheerfully welcomes Lisette when she arrives to see the house.

Alicia is Matún's wife and a former employee of Lisette's grandparents. She currently lives in the old family house in Cuba. When Lisette arrives, Alicia grows anxious and tears up, fearing the young woman has returned to claim the property.

Mark is an American pilot who socializes with Anselmo and Meegan. He makes plans to play tennis with Meegan, a casual arrangement that sparks intense, obsessive jealousy in Anselmo due to cultural misunderstandings and Anselmo's deep-seated insecurities.

Aunt Julia is a member of the exiled Miami family in the allegorical story exploring Cuban politics. She reacts intensely and violently to any perceived threats to her family, demonstrating the fierce and often irrational protectiveness of the exiles.