Mrs. Spring Fragrance, also known as Jade or Lae-Choo, is a Chinese-American woman who adapts readily to her new life in the United States. She learns the English language thoroughly and enjoys reading Western poetry. She possesses a generous spirit and often involves herself in the romantic lives of her neighbors to help them find happiness.

Operating as a cabinet merchant under the business name Sing Yook, Mr. Spring Fragrance is a successful Chinese immigrant in Seattle. He takes initial pride in his wife's Americanization but grows anxious when he misinterprets her appreciation for Western poetry. He struggles to balance his traditional upbringing with the modern values surrounding him.

Alice is a self-made woman who works as a private secretary in a law firm. Without the benefit of a wealthy family or high social standing, she relies on her own hard work to support herself. Her independence and humble background earn her the derogatory label "The Inferior Woman" from her suitor's mother.

Pau Lin is a traditional Chinese woman who moves to the United States to live with her husband. She feels deeply isolated in her new environment and strongly resists adopting American customs. Her primary focus is protecting her son from western influences, which she views as harmful to her family's heritage.

Wou Sankwei is a junior partner and bookkeeper in a San Francisco firm who has spent seven years mastering the English language. He embraces Western culture and education, intending to raise his son with American values. He fails to recognize the deep cultural isolation his wife experiences upon her arrival.

Pan is a biracial young woman with a white mother and a Chinese father. She feels completely at home in Chinatown and is widely accepted by her community. Her sense of identity faces a challenge when she meets a reporter who insists she must choose between her two heritages.

Mark is an ambitious newspaper reporter known for his willingness to do anything for a story. He forms a relationship with Pan, becoming her first white friend, and uses this connection to gain unprecedented access to the local community for his journalistic work.

Miss McLeod is a dedicated schoolteacher who lives within the community she serves. Unlike other outsiders, she studies the local language and respects the customs of her neighbors. She views her students and the community as her adopted family.

Minnie is a young woman who initially works as a stenographer to support her husband's ambitions. She values traditional family structures over career advancement. After leaving a toxic situation, she finds refuge and support in an unexpected place, eventually forging a new life on her own terms.

James is a social reformer and writer who advocates for women's suffrage publicly but treats his own wife with disdain. He constantly belittles Minnie's desire to be a mother and prioritizes his own book project over his family's well-being.

Liu Kanghi is a compassionate Chinese man who offers sanctuary to a desperate mother and child. He acts with quiet dignity, providing financial and emotional support without making demands. He holds traditional views on family that closely align with Minnie's own desires.

Wan Lin Fo is a well-educated young merchant who decorates his home in the American style. He admires his white friends and pushes his new bride to emulate them, failing to see the pain his cultural expectations cause her.

Pau Tsu is a gentle, traditional woman who moves from China to marry a wealthy merchant. She struggles physically and emotionally with the damp climate and her husband's constant pressure to adopt American clothing and social customs.

Lae Choo is a devoted mother who cares deeply for her young son. Upon arriving in America, she faces a devastating bureaucratic obstacle that separates her from her child. She is fiercely protective and willing to sacrifice all her valuable possessions to reunite her family.

Hom Hing is a Chinese merchant who tries to navigate the complex and discriminatory immigration laws of the United States. He attempts to remain calm and practical when officials detain his son, relying on the legal system to resolve the situation.

James is a white lawyer hired to help a family reclaim their detained child. He exploits his clients' desperation and lack of legal knowledge, continually extracting money and valuable jewelry from them while delaying tangible results.

Lin John is a diligent laundry worker defined by his strict adherence to traditional duty. He spends years saving money to rescue his sister from an arrangement he views as dishonorable. He also cares deeply for his disabled sibling and is willing to sacrifice his personal happiness to fulfill his familial obligations.

Lin John's Sister is the kept woman of a wealthy merchant. She fully embraces a lifestyle of materialism and comfort, actively exploiting her loyal brother's hard work to fund her desire for American fashion.

Tie Co is an intelligent, reserved laundry worker living in Canada who avoids vices like tobacco and opium. Seeking entry into the United States, Tie Co hires a known outlaw and demonstrates a strong, quiet affection for him during their dangerous journey.

Jack is a Canadian outlaw notorious for smuggling Chinese immigrants across the border. Desperate for money after a stint in jail, he takes on a solo client and finds himself unexpectedly protective of his traveling companion.

Koan-lo the First is a wealthy, compassionate merchant in San Francisco. He holds significant authority over his household and uses his financial resources to make arrangements that he believes serve both duty and mercy.

Koan-lo the Second is an orphaned young man taken in by his rich relative. He resents his uncle's success and acts deceptively out of a mix of romantic passion and bitter jealousy, causing distress for the woman he claims to love.

Sie is the daughter of an enslaved man. She selflessly agrees to marry a wealthy merchant to secure the funds necessary to purchase her father's freedom, constantly placing the needs of the men in her life above her own desires.

Fou Wang is a fisherman who is completely consumed by grief following his mother's death. His strict adherence to mourning customs paralyzes his life, causing him to neglect his own betrothal and block his sister's marriage.

O'Yam is a young woman betrothed to a fisherman. She faces the terrifying prospect of being forced to marry an elderly suitor because her intended husband refuses to proceed with their wedding during his mourning period.

Fin Fan is a woman who was born into slavery and sold to a factory owner as a wife. She finds her only joy in her infant daughter, working desperately to meet her husband's demands so he will not give the child away.

Chung Kee is a factory owner who treats his family as disposable property. He values productivity over human connection, viewing his infant daughter merely as an obstacle to his wife's labor.

Tian Shan is an independent outlaw who routinely sneaks across the American-Canadian border. He rejects restrictive immigration laws and takes great risks to maintain his freedom and pursue the woman he loves.

Fin Fan is the fiercely independent daughter of a Canadian Chinese shopkeeper. She refuses to conform to local religious pressures or submit to her father's arranged marriage plans, preferring a life of defiance alongside a kindred spirit.

Ah Oi is an actress, or "sing song woman," who is socially ostracized by the more respectable residents of Chinatown. Though mistreatment has hardened her exterior, she is quick to devise a bold plan to help a desperate friend escape an unwanted marriage.

Laura is an 18-year-old woman living next door to the Spring Fragrances. She uses an American name and finds herself torn between her parents' traditional expectations and her own desires. She is betrothed to a man she does not love while harboring feelings for someone else.

Will is a young man who holds strong feelings for Alice Winthrop. He finds himself caught in a difficult position between the woman he wishes to marry and his mother, who strongly opposes the match.

Mary is Will Carman's mother. She holds strict ideas about social class and gender roles, believing that her son should marry a woman from a wealthy, established family rather than a working woman. She actively tries to prevent her son's relationship with Alice.

Ethel is referred to as "The Superior Woman" by Mary Carman due to her good family background. She holds progressive views on women's rights and actively supports her working friends, refusing to look down on women who earn their own living.

Yen is the six-year-old son of Wou Sankwei and Pau Lin. His father wishes to give him an American-style education, while his mother demands he retain his Chinese heritage, placing the young boy at the center of his parents' cultural conflict.

Adah is a young American woman who maintains a friendly relationship with Wou Sankwei. She is well-intentioned but initially oblivious to the tension her presence causes in Wou Sankwei's marriage.

Chee Ping, nicknamed "Little Me," is a student in Jean McLeod's class. Coming from a poor family, he feels inadequate when his wealthy peers offer opulent gifts, leading him to devise a creative and highly personal way to honor his teacher.

Wang Hom Hing is the father of one of Jean McLeod's students. When a crisis occurs in the community, he acts quickly but jumps to harsh conclusions, illustrating the underlying suspicion some community members hold toward outsiders.

Adah is the daughter of an American firm partner. She maintains a platonic friendship with Wan Lin Fo and is entirely unaware that her presence and modern habits cause insecurity for his traditional bride.

Little One is the two-year-old son of Lae Choo and Hom Hing. He becomes separated from his parents upon arriving in America due to immigration laws, spending months under the care of a local mission.

Mermei is a young woman who became permanently disabled after a tragic fall. She relies heavily on her brother's daily visits for companionship until a new neighbor reaches out to offer friendship.

Sin Far is a beautiful young woman who recently moved into a boarding house with her sister. Feeling like a third wheel in her own household, she initiates a warm friendship with a lonely neighbor.

Mag-gee is a young woman of mixed heritage who is distraught over an impending marriage to a man she has never met. She relies entirely on her bolder friend to save her from the arrangement.

Ke Leang is a strong, forgiving groom who arrives at his wedding to find a substitute bride. Instead of reacting with anger, he demonstrates remarkable kindness and uses his social standing to protect the outcast woman standing before him.