Corky is a thirteen-year-old tomboy living in the segregated town of High Cotton, Texas, in 1964. She divides her time between the local library, church, and her father's drugstore. Naturally curious and eager to learn, she frequently asks direct, challenging questions that irritate the adults around her. Her secure, privileged life begins to shift as she makes a new friend and reads literature that challenges her worldview.

America is a sixteen-year-old Black teenager from the Southside of High Cotton. She possesses extraordinary athletic talent, capable of outrunning the local boys with ease. She shares a deep love of reading but lacks the educational resources afforded to white students in her town. Her invitation to join an all-white softball team creates unprecedented social tension in the community.

Corky's older brother is a college student whose worldview has been broadened by the civil rights movement. He hopes to pursue a career in baseball, causing friction with his practical father who demands he focus on financial security. He serves as an encouraging figure for both his sister and America, actively rejecting the systemic prejudice of his hometown.

Corky's mother is a classic Southern beauty who has spent her adult years as a dedicated housewife. Influenced by the shifting cultural tides of the 1960s, she begins to harbor ambitions beyond the domestic sphere. She hides a secret passport and expresses a strong desire to enter the workforce, much to her husband's dismay.

The wealthy patriarch of High Cotton's most prominent family and a descendant of a post-Civil War plantation owner. Now a deacon in the Baptist church and recovering from alcohol addiction, he actively fights to uphold the town's segregationist practices. He views any form of social progress as a direct threat to his personal power.

Corky's father and the owner of Corcoran's Drugstore, the only pharmacy remaining in town. He firmly believes in traditional gender roles and expects his wife to remain at home. While he is ideologically opposed to outright racial violence, he prefers maintaining the segregated status quo to avoid conflict.

America's mother is a Haitian woman who speaks little English but communicates deep warmth and resilience. She takes a job at the Corcoran household to repay a loan after her husband loses his railroad job, carrying the heavy burden of keeping her family financially afloat.

Noah Boatwright IV's older son and the town bully. Traumatized by his father's past abuse, he struggles with alcohol addiction and frequently directs his anger at others. He enthusiastically participates in the racist intimidation tactics prevalent in High Cotton.

The youngest Boatwright son and a childhood friend of Corky. As they enter adolescence, he expresses romantic interest in her, but his complicity in his family's overt prejudices complicates their emerging relationship.

Cal's father and Corky's grandfather, an aging man who lives on the edge of town. He is a staunch supporter of Jim Crow laws, though his rigid prejudices are complicated by his reliance on his Black companion, Willy, whom he once saved from drowning.

Corky's loyal dog who wanders freely around High Cotton. He acts as a protective sentry for the Corcoran family, possessing strong instincts about the emotional atmosphere and potential dangers lurking in the town.

The local white Baptist pastor who makes the unprecedented decision to invite a Black teenager, America, to join the all-white church softball team. He stands by his choice despite intense backlash from his congregation.

The local librarian who encourages Corky's intellectual curiosity. She defends Corky's right to read challenging literature and helps the young girl address difficult questions about society and women's roles.

The minister of the Southside Black Baptist church. He acts as a liaison between the two communities, passing messages to America and offering wisdom to Corky about the nature of the world.

The local policeman who tries to maintain order in High Cotton. He acts as an umpire during the softball game and investigates the suspicious activity occurring around town.

A Black man who formerly worked as a sharecropper and now serves as a companion to the aging Papa Cal. The two men share a long, complicated history of mutual reliance.

Mack's baseball coach, who is immediately astounded by America's athletic prowess and provides her with proper running shoes to encourage her talent.

Corky's retired elementary school music teacher. Living alone, she offers Corky valuable insight into how personal experiences shape the way people interpret literature.

A local school bully who harasses Corky and her dog, embodying the casual cruelty and burgeoning racism of the town's younger generation.