George is a Slovak immigrant who arrives in America with empty pockets after spending his travel funds throwing a party for a fellow passenger. He secures manual labor on the railroad in White Haven before shifting to the dangerous blast furnaces of Braddock. Driven by a desire for financial independence, he constantly calculates ways to escape mill life, eventually saving enough capital to open his own butcher shop.

Elena is George's wife, who travels to Pennsylvania a year after her husband. The loss of her infant son in Hungary leaves her physically weakened and prone to deep depressions that she struggles to explain. She manages the Kracha household and takes in boarders to supplement George's wages, though she frequently retreats into quiet sorrow.

Mary is the eldest Kracha daughter, representing the bridge between the original immigrants and the fully Americanized generation. She starts working as a domestic servant for the affluent Dexter family at age fifteen to support her parents. She later manages her own crowded household, implementing her mother's strategy of taking in mill workers as boarders to ensure her family's economic survival.

Zuska is an independent and attractive woman from a province near Zemplinska. She catches George's eye during their ocean crossing, accepting a birthday party he throws for her before firmly rebuffing his physical advances. She reappears years later in Braddock as a widow with two sons, stepping back into George's life as a customer at his butcher shop.

Joe is a young worker who quickly becomes George's closest confidant. He is ambitious, leaving the railroad to find better-paying work at the H furnace in the Braddock steel mills. He frequently acts as the voice of reason for George, providing advice on work, finances, and domestic life.

Mike is a progressive young mill worker who wants more from life than endless physical labor. He actively seeks to understand his new country, attending classes to learn English and American history. Earning only fourteen cents an hour at the mill, he resents oppressive industrial conditions and believes in political participation, eventually voting on the Socialist ticket.

Dobie is the eldest son of Mike and Mary, representing the third generation of the Kracha family line. Growing up amid the soot of Braddock, he develops a sharp awareness of industrial exploitation. As he enters the workforce, he provides illegal electricity connections during the Great Depression before taking an active role in organizing the steel workers for fair collective bargaining.

Flack is a superintendent at the steel mill representing the interests of the company against the labor organizers. He uses intimidation, bureaucratic hurdles, and threats to maintain the status quo and discourage the workers from seeking legitimate union representation.

Dorta is Joe's energetic and practical wife. She brings life to her household and quickly adapts to the economic realities of a mill town by establishing a successful boarding house. She becomes a steady source of advice for other immigrant women regarding household management and survival.

Mikie is the younger brother of Dobie. He begins working as an apprentice in the steel mills alongside his brother but questions the limits of local opportunities. He represents the segment of the younger generation that seeks to build an identity outside the oppressive environment of the Pennsylvania steel industry.

Andrej is George's brother-in-law who establishes himself in America before the rest of the family. He works in the coal mining camp in White Haven and later secures a job at the Homestead steel mill. He serves as a practical guide for George, bribing an Irish foreman with drinks and cash to secure George's first mill job.

Francka is George's strict and traditional sister. She manages her household with a firm hand and is quick to speak her mind regarding family behavior and moral choices. She provides initial lodging for George and Elena, expecting them to adhere to proper social conventions.

Borka is George and Francka's sister. When she immigrates to America, she stays with George and assumes control of the household chores. She provides much-needed domestic relief as Elena's health wanes, though she frequently clashes with her sister Francka over family matters.

Alice is the second daughter of the Kracha family. She grows up facing systemic poverty and eventually follows her older sister Mary into domestic service, working as a maid for the wealthy Dexter family.

Anna is the youngest Kracha daughter. She takes over the domestic service job at the Dexter household when her older sisters leave, participating in the family's ongoing struggle to maintain a steady income in a harsh economic environment.

Pauline is the second child of the Dobrejcak family. She is born into a household constantly balancing on the edge of debt due to the volatile nature of corporate wage practices, developing a frail constitution early in life.

Agnes is the youngest Dobrejcak child. She grows up in an environment shaped by industrial hardship and the Great Depression, eventually seeking stability through retail work and courtship as she navigates the volatile economy.

Julie is a young woman who develops a relationship with Dobie. She is cautious about the economic realities of their town and initially worries about the risks associated with his labor organizing, desiring a peaceful home life amid the turbulent industrial environment.

Joe is a successful local businessman who serves as a model of the American Dream for George. He invests in property, runs a hotel and speakeasy, and participates in local politics, representing the small percentage of immigrants who manage to climb the economic ladder.

John is Zuska's husband. He travels with her from their home province with the intention of lodging with her sister in Pittsburgh, unaware of the specific attention his wife garners from the other male passengers.

Steve is a local widower who courts and marries Dorta. His quick marriage reflects the pragmatic reality of the industrial towns, where single women and widowers frequently consolidate households for economic survival.