Sudha is a thoughtful and traditional young girl who grows up in a crumbling Calcutta mansion. She loves fairy tales and often imagines her life mirroring the princesses in these stories, waiting passively for her destiny to unfold. As the daughter of a woman with precarious standing in the Chatterjee household, she feels the heavy weight of economic dependency and societal expectations.

Anju is a headstrong, intellectually curious young woman who longs for freedom from the constraints of traditional Indian society. Unlike her cousin Sudha, she enjoys literature from Western authors like Virginia Woolf and dreams of an emancipated life in America. She actively rebels against the patriarchal norms of her household while fiercely protecting those she loves.

Gouri is the matriarch and primary breadwinner of the Chatterjee household following the death of her husband, Bijoy. She feels duty-bound to maintain the family's prestige and patriarchal traditions despite their crumbling financial situation. Though she provides a strong, independent role model for the girls, she remains deeply sensitive to social mores and the threat of scandal.

Pishi is a widowed aunt who lives in the Chatterjee household. Adhering strictly to the traditional constraints of widowhood, she shaves her head and dresses in white. Despite her strict traditional appearance, she serves as the primary maternal and nurturing figure for the girls, filling their childhood with ancient tales and favorite foods.

Nalini is Sudha's biological mother, a woman who relies entirely on the charity of the Chatterjee household after being widowed. She is keenly aware of her tenuous position and often overcompensates by boasting about her lineage. She strictly enforces societal rules on her daughter to ensure a respectable marriage, terrified of losing what little status they possess.

Sunil is an Indian computer programmer living in the United States who returns to Calcutta to find a bride. He presents himself as a liberal, progressive man who supports women's education and independence, though his modern veneer sometimes masks deeper traditional assumptions. He becomes Anju's prospective husband, though his behavior occasionally raises concerns.

Singhji is the loyal chauffeur for the Chatterjee family. His face is severely scarred beyond recognition, but he maintains a gentle, caring demeanor. He is deeply devoted to the mothers and the girls, offering a quiet source of support and wisdom in a household dominated by women, even staying on when they can no longer afford his salary.

Ashok is a young man from a wealthy, self-made family in Calcutta whose fortune comes from shipping. He embodies the possibilities of new money and relative freedom, unconstrained by the rigid intergenerational obligations that bind the Chatterjee household. He becomes instantly enamored with Sudha and proposes marriage to her.

Ramesh is the heir to the distinguished Sanyal family. He is a kind, compliant man who lives largely under the thumb of his domineering mother. He becomes Sudha's prospective husband in an arranged marriage, offering her a future constrained by his family's strict patriarchal expectations.

Mrs. Sanyal is the formidable, widowed matriarch of her family who took over their business after her husband's death. Bitter and domineering, she exercises strict control over her son, Ramesh. She views a prospective daughter-in-law primarily as a means to secure good-looking grandsons and maintain her family's status.

Gopal is Sudha's deceased father, who arrived at the Chatterjee house claiming to be the son of an estranged uncle. His legacy casts a long shadow over the family, particularly after he led Anju's father on a disastrous ruby-hunting expedition into the jungle from which neither returned.

Bijoy is Anju's deceased father and the former patriarch of the Chatterjee family. He was a generous and trusting man who pawned the remaining family wealth to fund a ruby-hunting expedition with Gopal. His untimely death occurred just before his daughter's birth.