Doria is a fifteen-year-old girl of Moroccan descent living with her mother in the Paradise Estates, a housing project outside Paris. Following her father's abrupt abandonment of the family, she develops a thick exterior of indifference and sarcasm to shield herself from emotional pain. She performs poorly in school despite her sharp intelligence and relies heavily on American and French pop culture to process her reality. Her worldview mixes cynical observations about French society with secret daydreams of a better life.

Yasmina is an illiterate Moroccan immigrant and Doria's mother. She works as a cleaning lady to support them after her husband abandons the family. Initially withdrawn and overwhelmed by the responsibility of single parenthood, she quietly endures poor treatment from her motel boss. She possesses a resilient nature and slowly begins to branch out by making friends and engaging with social services.

Doria's father, sometimes referred to as "the Beard," is a traditional patriarch who abandons his wife and daughter to return to Morocco in search of a male heir. He views Doria as a disappointment simply because of her gender. His legacy in the household is marked by his strict enforcement of religious rules, which hypocritically contrast with his severe alcoholism and abusive behavior.

Hamoudi is a neighborhood man in his late twenties who serves as a crucial sounding board for Doria. He abandoned his university aspirations after serving time in prison and now makes a living through petty drug dealing. He loves the poetry of Arthur Rimbaud and shares a cynical view of the world, though he actively looks out for Doria and treats her with protective respect.

Mme. Burlaud is Doria's state-assigned therapist. Older and visually described by Doria as resembling a bobblehead dog, she works to break through her patient's defensive walls. Despite Doria's constant internal complaints about her appearance and methods, Mme. Burlaud pays genuine attention to Doria's emotional state and accurately reads her deflections.

Mme. Du is the family's energetic, blonde social worker. Newly married and enjoying a comfortable middle-class life, she attempts to offer friendly assistance to Yasmina and Doria. Doria aggressively rejects her help, viewing her sunny disposition as condescending and totally disconnected from the realities of the housing projects.

Aunt Zohra is an Algerian immigrant and one of Yasmina's oldest friends in France. She operates as a single parent for much of the year, as her husband spends six months annually with a second wife in North Africa. She provides Yasmina with a sense of community and shared cultural endurance.

Youssef is Aunt Zohra's eldest son. A few years older than Doria, he acts as an easygoing, brotherly figure who once taught her how to ride a bicycle. Like many young men in the neighborhood, he struggles to find legitimate employment and drifts toward illegal activities.

Nabil is a teenager from the neighborhood who performs well academically. His mother, a friend of Yasmina, volunteers him to tutor Doria. Coming from a more literate and supportive household, Nabil frequently clashes with Doria over her lack of academic motivation, though he maintains an interest in her well-being.

Lila is a thirty-year-old divorced mother living in the Paradise Estates. She works as a supermarket cashier and maintains a hopeful, romantic outlook on life despite a difficult past marriage that alienated her from her traditional family. She provides Doria with a sense of value by trusting her to care for her young daughter.

Jacqueline is an older Frenchwoman from Normandy who teaches adult literacy courses. She takes a genuine, respectful interest in Yasmina's culture and religion, bridging the gap between the immigrant community and mainstream French society.

Samra is a nineteen-year-old girl who lives on the tenth floor of Doria's building. Her life is heavily controlled by her father and brothers, who heavily monitor her movements and enforce highly restrictive rules upon her daily routine.

Aziz is a man in his fifties who runs the local grocery store. He extends credit to Yasmina and serves as a familiar fixture of the community, though his store is known for selling expired food and he frequently subjects customers to bad jokes.

Sarah is Lila's four-year-old daughter. She is an energetic and observant child who brings a sense of routine and responsibility into Doria's life when Doria becomes her daily babysitter.

M. Winner is the manager of the motel employing Yasmina. He displays casual racism toward his staff, addressing Yasmina with the stereotypical name "Fatma" instead of her real name while strictly demanding respect for his own Alsatian surname.

Karine is Hamoudi's blonde girlfriend. Her presence causes Hamoudi to change his appearance and habits, which provokes feelings of jealousy and abandonment in Doria, who deliberately calls her by a man's name in her head.