Jay is a 17-year-old Filipino American high school senior living in a comfortable Michigan suburb. He lacks direction for his future and struggles with apathy toward his upcoming enrollment at the University of Michigan. As a biracial first-generation immigrant, he feels disconnected from his Filipino heritage. The sudden news of his cousin Jun's death jolts him out of his complacency and prompts him to travel to the Philippines.

Jun is Jay's cousin who lived in the Philippines. He demonstrates deep empathy for the impoverished and a profound awareness of the world's injustices. His old letters reveal a curious mind focused on philosophical questions. His reported death in connection with the government's anti-drug campaign serves as the catalyst for Jay's journey to Manila.

Grace is Jay's younger cousin, a sharp and intellectually curious teenager living in Manila. She reads extensively about Philippine history and political theory. Despite her family's conservative Catholic environment, she harbors her own secrets and maintains a quiet resistance to the political status quo in her country.

Maning is Jay's uncle and a high-ranking officer in the Philippine police force. He lives in a luxurious, heavily secured home on the outskirts of Manila. He is a strict patriarch who fully supports the government's harsh methods of maintaining order. He frequently lectures Jay about Filipino history and American ignorance.

Mia is a journalism student involved in underground student movements that oppose the government's extrajudicial killings. She is brave and committed to exposing human rights violations. Her dedication to real-world issues provides a heavy contrast to Jay's suburban apathy. She actively risks her safety to investigate stories.

Jay's father is a first-generation Filipino immigrant who works as a neonatal intensive care unit nurse in Michigan. He firmly believes in the American Dream and frequently preaches the value of hard work to his youngest son. He maintains a polite but emotionally distant atmosphere at home and avoids difficult conversations about his family back in the Philippines.

Jay's mother is a white American doctor working at the same hospital as her husband. She provides Jay with his initial understanding of the political situation in the Philippines. She details the harsh realities of the government crackdown that reportedly claimed his cousin's life.

Chato is Jay's aunt and a lawyer working for a human rights organization in Manila. She is warm and hospitable. She lives in a committed relationship with her partner Ines, which has caused her to be ostracized by conservative members of her family.

Ines is Chato's life partner and fellow lawyer at a human rights foundation. She helps maintain a warm, photograph-filled home that embraces extended family members. She works to protect the rights of the poor and marginalized in the Philippines.

Seth is Jay's high school friend in Michigan. He shares Jay's habit of smoking marijuana and avoiding academic responsibilities. He represents the comfortable, disengaged suburban life that Jay increasingly feels alienated from.

Jessa is a young woman living in Manila who is in a romantic relationship with Grace. Because of the conservative Catholic environment of Grace's family, Jessa keeps her relationship a secret to protect her partner from ostracization.

Reyna is a young woman who shares a small apartment with an orphaned child. She carries the trauma of being sold into an abusive marriage by her impoverished family before escaping. She formed a close platonic bond with Jun, who showed her kindness and respect.

Danilo is Jay's uncle and a Catholic priest in a remote region of southern Luzon. He carries a Bible and a rosary, providing a religious perspective on the family's tragedies. He holds difficult information about Jun's final months.