Elizabeth is a private American poet and eventual US poet laureate who focuses on exactitude and rigorous revision. She faces familial losses from a young age—including the death of her father and the institutionalization of her mother—and channels her experiences into structured, objective poetry. She resists the popular Confessional style of her peers and keeps her same-sex attraction and personal grief separate from her public work.

Lota is a Brazilian architect who builds a life with Elizabeth in South America. She shares a home with the poet and forms a deep romantic bond that affects Elizabeth's personal life and sense of belonging. Her presence offers Elizabeth a period of connection on a new continent.

Robert is a popular poet known for his Confessional style of writing. He focuses on personal exploration and publishes private matters for public consumption. For instance, he openly uses his ex-wife's private letters in his work, a choice that upsets others in the literary community.

Marianne is a poet who attends Vassar College at the same time as Elizabeth. She provides an early literary friendship for Elizabeth before the latter begins traveling the world and publishing her own poetry collections.