Mark is an aspiring filmmaker living in a freezing industrial loft in Alphabet City. He acts as the narrator of his friends' lives, often hiding behind his camera to document their bohemian lifestyle rather than fully participating in it. He is currently struggling with his recent breakup and the daily pressures of poverty.

Roger is a once-promising musician who is withdrawing from heroin and trying to write one great, lasting song. After discovering he is HIV-positive through his late girlfriend's suicide note, he has become deeply depressed and refuses to leave his apartment. He is terrified of human connection and avoids venturing into the outside world.

Collins is an anarchist, computer genius, and professor who was recently fired from MIT for his radical teachings. HIV-positive and frequently impoverished, he is endlessly generous and offers whatever money or supplies he has to his chosen family. He dreams of leaving New York to open a restaurant in Santa Fe.

Benny is the former roommate of Mark, Roger, and Collins who married into wealth and purchased their building. Representing the incoming wave of gentrification, he plans to evict the unhoused people next door to build a state-of-the-art cyberstudio. He views his former friends' bohemian ideals as stubborn poverty.

Joanne is an Ivy League-educated lawyer from a wealthy, politically connected family. Straitlaced and highly organized, she is entirely out of place in the bohemian East Village but is drawn into it through her romance. She struggles to balance her chaotic relationship with her parents' conservative expectations.

Angel is a talented drag queen and street busker who lives with HIV/AIDS. Joyful and fiercely devoted to others, Angel makes money through eccentric gigs and immediately uses the earnings to care for friends. Angel serves as the moral center of the bohemian group, offering selflessness and unconditional love.

Mimi is a nineteen-year-old dancer at the Cat Scratch Club who struggles with heroin addiction and is HIV-positive. Reckless and desperate for connection, she embraces a hedonistic philosophy of living only for the moment. She is drawn to Roger and pushes past his emotional walls despite his attempts to reject her.

Maureen is a charismatic, highly dramatic performance artist who commands attention wherever she goes. Openly manipulative of her partners, she organizes a protest on the vacant lot next to Mark and Roger's building to stop the development project.

Mark's mother worries about him and regularly leaves him voicemails. She tries to offer maternal comfort regarding his breakup while nudging him to conform slightly more to traditional expectations.

Joanne's wealthy, politically connected father expects his daughter to conform to his high-society standards. He leaves voicemails detailing luxurious vacations while ignoring her bohemian lifestyle and same-sex relationship.

Joanne's mother is facing imminent confirmation hearings. She demands Joanne's attendance without Maureen, expecting a display of traditional femininity for the political event.

Alexi is a producer for a sensationalist news show called Buzzline. She aggressively pursues Mark to offer him a lucrative network deal, testing his anti-capitalist ideals.

Paul is the steady, optimistic leader of the Life Support group for people living with HIV/AIDS. He guides the group in positive affirmations and encourages members to focus on living in the present.

Gordon is a member of the Life Support group who struggles with his declining health. He pushes back against the group's mandatory positivity and prefers to process his reality intellectually.

Steve is a member of the Life Support group who plaintively voices the group's collective fear. He openly wonders about losing dignity and facing nightmares as his illness progresses.

The Man is a local drug dealer operating in the Alphabet City open-air market. He protects his clientele fiercely and threatens anyone who interferes with his business.

Alison is Benny's wealthy wife, whose family money has allowed Benny to purchase real estate in Alphabet City. She remains entirely removed from the gritty bohemian lifestyle of her husband's former friends.

Mr. Grey is Alison's father and Benny's wealthy father-in-law. A conservative man, he acts as an investor and is easily offended by the bohemian lifestyle of Benny's former friends.

April is Roger's former girlfriend who died by suicide prior to the events of the story. She left behind a traumatic legacy in the form of a note revealing that they both contracted HIV.

Mimi's mother occasionally calls and worries about her daughter's whereabouts. She leaves messages in Spanish, highlighting the disconnect between the young artists and their biological families.

Jill is a Calvin Klein model who lives in a penthouse apartment. Her flirtatious behavior with Maureen creates immediate tension and jealousy for Joanne.

Evita is a loud Akita dog belonging to a wealthy resident of Alphabet City. Her incessant barking leads a neighbor to hire Angel for a noise-campaign.

The manager or owner of the Life Café. He complains that the bohemian artists sit at his tables for hours without ordering anything, though he ultimately serves their large vegan order.