Jesse is a 17-year-old Mexican American who drops out of high school to live with his older brother. He attends junior college while picking cotton and fruit on the weekends to afford rent and food. Shy, introspective, and guided by his Catholic faith, Jesse dreams of becoming an artist and traveling the world despite the harsh realities of poverty and the looming threat of the Vietnam War draft.

Abel is Jesse's 21-year-old brother and primary caretaker. Generous and responsible, he works grueling hours in the fields alongside Jesse while attending junior college classes. As an older youth, he actively seeks to enjoy life, dating and spending time with friends, all while the immediate threat of the military draft hangs heavily over his future.

Leslie is a white Vietnam War veteran who lives out of his car while attending junior college. He bonds with Jesse over art and works alongside the brothers doing manual field labor. His presence in the boys' lives demonstrates that civil rights and solidarity cross racial boundaries.

Raul is a passionate Chicano activist and student leader at the junior college. He dedicates himself to the fight for migrant and farm labor rights. Confident and unapologetic, Raul represents an aggressive, confrontational form of masculinity that intimidates Jesse.

Jesse's mother is a woman trying to maintain a relationship with her sons despite the wedge driven between them by her second husband. She remains a steadfast parent who worries about Jesse living on his own, though she holds some internalized prejudices against the Mexican laborers her sons work alongside.

Glenda is the landlord's daughter and a single mother to an infant who cries frequently. She integrates into the brothers' social circle, offering them rides to school and participating in a shared garage sale.

Luis is Jesse's friend from high school who contrasts Jesse's quiet nature with his preference for partying, drinking, and pursuing girls. Despite his reckless behavior, he eventually seeks Jesse's academic help, showing a vulnerability beneath his confident exterior.

Minerva is a classmate of Jesse's who agrees to go out for milkshakes with him. She listens to his stories about field labor and family struggles with shock, making Jesse realize how difficult his daily reality sounds to outsiders.

Maureen is a young woman who dates Abel and helps him secure a job in her father's prosthetics business. Her relationship with Abel forces Jesse to confront his fears of being left behind.

Jesse's stepfather is an aggressive man with alcoholism who creates a toxic environment in the family home. His behavior prevents the boys from living with their mother and serves as a major source of Jesse's internal stress.

Ron is a young man from Jesse's former high school who acts as a local bully. He targets Jesse and Luis with physical violence, representing the senseless aggression the boys face in their community.