Mrs. Chloe Fleet, also known as Aunt Chloe, is an approximately sixty-year-old formerly enslaved Black woman living in the Reconstruction-era South. Determined to read the Bible for herself, she views her advancing age as fuel for her ambitions rather than a reason to stop trying. She values education as a pathway to independence and dedicates herself to learning until she acquires enough skill to read the hymns and the Testament. Her determination pays off, allowing her to purchase her own cabin and feel as empowered as a queen.

The Rebs is Chloe's term for the former Confederate supporters and white southern enslavers. Before the Civil War, they legally barred Black people from receiving an education, fearing that knowledge would make enslaved people too wise and dismantle the institution of slavery. Following the war, they harbor deep resentment toward the Yankee teachers and the rising education rates among freed people.

Uncle Caldwell is an enslaved Black man whose story Chloe remembers and shares as an example of historical resistance. He demonstrates immense bravery and ingenuity by learning to read under the direct threat of violence during slavery. To avoid detection, he coats the pages of his book in pot liquor fat and hides them in his hat, making them look like useless dirty papers to anyone who might try to punish him.

Ben is an enslaved man who covertly acquires literacy skills prior to emancipation. He uses white enslavers' expectations of his obedience as a cover to listen to white children practicing their spelling lessons. By paying close attention in secret, he picks the words up by heart and eventually learns to read them well.

The Yankee teachers are northern educators who travel to the South following the end of slavery. They establish schools to help educate newly liberated Black citizens, providing formal instruction that was previously criminalized. They withstand the anger of hostile white southerners to successfully help people like Chloe achieve their educational goals.

Mr. Turner is a white southern enslaver mentioned in Chloe's recollections. He claims ownership over Ben during the era of slavery. His household unwittingly provides Ben with an education, as Ben secretly listens to the white children in the home practicing their lessons.