Jordan is a twelve-year-old middle school student from the Washington Heights neighborhood in New York City. He loves drawing cartoons and uses his sketchbook to make sense of the complex social dynamics around him. Placed in a prestigious, majority-white private school by his parents, he frequently adjusts his behavior and appearance depending on his environment. He wears a hooded jacket to shield himself from the cold and the social pressures of his new school.

Chuck is Jordan's father, a former publishing employee who left his corporate job to work at a community center. He understands the culture clash his son experiences and worries about the private school's lack of diversity. He bonds with Jordan over older video games and makes conscious efforts to keep his son connected to his African American heritage.

Ellice is Jordan's mother, a pragmatic professional who works at a magazine publisher. She insists on enrolling Jordan at Riverdale Academy Day School rather than the art school he prefers. Her primary motivation is ensuring her son develops the necessary skills to succeed in difficult, white-dominated corporate spaces.

Liam is a white student from a wealthy family of school donors. Despite his immense privilege, he is self-conscious about his money and feels isolated because of his frequently absent father. He prefers playing video games and seeking a sense of normalcy with ordinary peers over associating with the school's elite crowd.

Drew is an athletic and intelligent student attending Riverdale Academy Day School on financial aid. He lives with his grandmother and faces explicit prejudice from both students and teachers. Lacking an outlet for his frustrations, he adopts a cynical, reactionary attitude as a defense mechanism against his poor treatment.

Andy is an aspiring football quarterback who serves as the primary bully at the school. He frequently makes inappropriate jokes, casual racist remarks, and stereotypical assumptions about students of color. Much of his blustery behavior stems from insecurity and a desire to assert dominance over his peers.

Gran'pa is Jordan's grandfather, a positive elder who provides a comforting presence. He lacks familiarity with modern technology like smartphones but excels at offering direct, helpful advice. He uses simple metaphors to help Jordan manage his complex social life.

Ashley is a talkative student known for spreading news throughout the school. She genuinely likes her classmates but suffers from an ignorance of cultures outside her own. This leads her to make offensive assumptions without realizing it, especially when trying to show affection.

Alexandra is a lonely student who constantly wears long-sleeved shirts and speaks through an Oscar the Grouch hand puppet. She adopts an intentionally annoying persona to prevent people from getting too close to her. This behavior operates as a defense mechanism to hide her anxieties and a physical injury she sustained at home.

Maury is a Black student whose father owns a Fortune 500 company. Despite sharing the same racial background as Jordan, his elite upbringing and interests put them worlds apart. He experiences isolation at school, facing taunts from white students for not acting stereotypically while receiving tone-deaf gifts from faculty.

Ms. Rawle is a homeroom teacher who remains entirely oblivious to her own biases. She consistently mistakes her Black students for one another and singles them out for minor infractions. She acts defensively when challenged, preferring marginalized students to feel silently grateful for their education.

Kirk is Jordan's friend from the Washington Heights neighborhood. He enjoys playing video games and basketball, providing Jordan with a crucial link to his roots. Although he teases Jordan about his new private school habits, he is quick to defend him from other neighborhood kids.

Collin is a friendly student attending the school on financial aid. Despite his polite demeanor, he actively enables Andy's abusive behavior toward other students. His position at the academy becomes precarious when he takes an unauthorized luxury vacation.

Ms. Slate is an art teacher at Riverdale Academy Day School. She creates both traditional and abstract works while encouraging her students to expand their internal boundaries. She recognizes the emotional value of artistic expression and helps students communicate their inner frustrations.

Mr. Roche is a science teacher and the coach of the school's lowest-ranked soccer team. He emphasizes fun and sportsmanship on the field but struggles with his own cultural sensitivities. He becomes visibly awkward and self-correcting when he accidentally uses outdated terms.

Ramon is a Nicaraguan student who shares the lower-tier lunch table with Jordan. He frequently endures casual racism from peers who ignore his actual heritage to make broad, stereotypical comments about food.

Coach Bumdoody leads the lower-form spring baseball team. Unlike other athletic staff at the school, he is mean-spirited and forces his younger players to act as equipment managers for the varsity teams.

Mr. Garner is an African American professor at the school. He shares a common struggle with the Black students at the institution, as others frequently mistake him for different Black adults, highlighting the community's broader issues with recognition.