The speaker is a young man living in the United States, representing the author Ocean Vuong. As the grandson of a Vietnamese rice farmer's daughter and an American serviceman, he lives with the lasting effects of the Vietnam War on his family. He observes his grandmother's actions closely, translating her physical gestures into an understanding of her unspoken trauma. He serves as a living reminder of the young boys who died during the conflict.

The speaker's grandmother is a Vietnamese refugee and the daughter of a rural rice farmer. She survived the Vietnam War as a civilian, witnessing immense violence and loss before eventually fleeing to the United States. Unable to read or write, she communicates her deep affection and lingering terror primarily through physical touch, specifically through the desperate way she kisses her grandson. She treats loved ones as precious and fragile, fully aware of mortality.

The speaker's mother is a Vietnamese refugee born to a local woman and an American serviceman. Because she is half-American, she faces discrimination from the Vietnamese police, prompting her to flee to a Philippine refugee camp and eventually to Connecticut. She works long hours providing manicures and pedicures to support her family. Like her mother, she is illiterate and relies heavily on physical gestures to communicate.

The grandfather is an American serviceman who travels to Vietnam during the war to play the trumpet. While stationed there, he falls in love with the speaker's grandmother. They have four children together before the fall of Saigon forces the family apart.

The speaker's father lives with the family initially but behaves abusively toward his partner. His actions lead the mother to kick him out of their home, resulting in him being absent from the speaker's upbringing.

The aunt is a Vietnamese refugee and the sister of the speaker's mother. She experiences the fall of Saigon, placement in an orphanage, and life in a Philippine refugee camp before settling in the United States. She is a core part of the family unit that helps raise her nephew.