Ten-year-old Cassie is a spirited Black girl coming of age in the rural South in 1935. She questions the harsh social rules enforced in her community and struggles to understand why her family must act differently around white people. Supported by her loving relatives, she possesses a fierce loyalty toward her siblings and a stubborn curiosity that often gets her into trouble.

Mary is a well-educated former schoolteacher who tutors local children. She values education as a means of overcoming poverty and ignorance in the South. While she possesses strong self-respect and principles, she is careful to avoid antagonizing the powerful white planter class to protect her family.

David is a stern but dedicated father who works hard to maintain his family's independence during the Great Depression. He owns a 400-acre farm but takes seasonal work on the railroad to pay taxes. He wants to instill integrity in his children while keeping them safe from the racial violence of the Jim Crow era.

At thirteen, Stacey is the eldest Logan child and feels an increasing sense of responsibility for his family. He longs to help ease the financial burdens his parents face but struggles with his youth and impulsiveness. His desire for independence creates occasional friction in the household.

Harlan Granger is the most powerful white plantation owner in Spokane County. His ancestors once owned the 400 acres now belonging to the Logans, and he relentlessly schemes to reacquire the property. He exploits government crop reduction programs to enrich himself at the expense of his impoverished sharecroppers.

Stuart is the son of a wealthy white planter in the area. He uses his social standing and racial privilege to harass and intimidate others without facing consequences. He takes a particular interest in Suzella, mistaking her for a white visitor to the region.

Suzella is the attractive fifteen-year-old cousin of the Logan children. Raised in New York by a Black father and white mother, she has light skin and can pass as white. She finds herself caught between two worlds, struggling to find acceptance in a society strictly divided by race.

Bud is Mary Logan's cousin who relocated to New York years earlier. He married a white woman, a decision that causes shock and disapproval among his Southern relatives. He brings his daughter down South in hopes she will connect with her Black heritage.

Hammer is David Logan's prosperous brother who lives in Chicago but frequently visits Mississippi. He is known for his quick temper and fierce intolerance of the racial injustices in the South. He aggressively discourages interactions between Black and white individuals, viewing such connections as inherently dangerous for his family.

Mrs. Lee Annie is an elderly Black sharecropper living on the Granger plantation. Despite the severe risks involved, she develops a strong interest in understanding her legal rights and studies the constitution with a determination to eventually register to vote.

Jeremy is a young white boy from a sharecropping family. Unlike his older brothers who are involved in criminal activities, Jeremy actively seeks out the friendship of the Logan children. He frequently demonstrates kindness and loyalty to them, even though his attempts at connection make them uncomfortable due to the strict racial divide.

Wade Jamison is a white attorney who maintains a cordial, respectful relationship with the Black community. He earns the wrath of his white neighbors by defending a Black teenager in a controversial murder trial. He frequently aids the Logans with legal matters and uses his connections to help them.

Big Ma is David Logan's mother and the matriarch of the family. She provides a sense of history and stability in the household, assisting with the daily chores like canning preserves and looking after the children while offering quiet wisdom.

Christopher-John is one of Cassie's younger brothers. He often follows the lead of his older siblings but possesses a gentle and sensitive demeanor. He accompanies Cassie during many of her daily activities and misadventures.

Little Man is the youngest of the four Logan children. He is fastidious and tags along with his older sister and brothers, experiencing the harsh realities of the segregated South alongside them as he grows up on the farm.

T. J. is a Black teenager whose gullibility leads him into a disastrous situation with two white boys. He faces a deeply prejudiced legal system as he stands trial for a crime his accomplices actually committed.

Moe is a sharecropper's son and a close friend to Stacey. He has big dreams of earning enough money to free his family from their financial dependence on a wealthy plantation owner, but faces constant setbacks due to unfair agricultural policies.

Morris is a white union organizer traveling through the South to build a coalition among farm workers. He attempts to unite poor white and Black laborers to demand better wages and conditions, facing severe backlash from the wealthy planters.

Wordell is Mrs. Lee Annie's grandson. He has a reputation for being odd because he rarely speaks, but he demonstrates quiet intelligence and occasionally plays the harmonica for Cassie.

Jake is an inquisitive older man whose behavior makes Cassie uneasy. He takes an inappropriate interest in Suzella and is known to start trouble in the community.