Leo is the patriarch of the Chao family and the owner of Fine Chao, a Chinese restaurant in Haven, Wisconsin, which he has operated for 35 years. Known to the local community as "Big Chao," he is a physically imposing and uncompromising man. He demands respect and obedience from his family but frequently belittles his sons and refuses to update his establishment to safety codes. He prioritizes his own appetites for food, money, and personal pleasure over domestic harmony.

James is the youngest Chao son, currently returning to Wisconsin from his first semester of college in California. As a pre-med student, he feels obligated to fulfill his parents' expectations but struggles with a growing disconnection from his Chinese heritage, having forgotten how to speak Mandarin. He feels torn between his loyalty to his brothers and his desire to appease his difficult father.

Dagou is the eldest Chao son and a gifted chef working in the kitchen of Fine Chao. He previously moved to New York to pursue a music career but returned when his mother fell ill. He seeks to become a formal partner in the family restaurant so he can provide for his new love interest, though his father continually dismisses his demands. Large, emotional, and impulsive, he uses a pirated radio station to broadcast his frustrations to the town.

Ming is the middle Chao son, who lives in New York City and has built a lucrative career. Having endured intense racial bullying as a child in Haven, he deeply resents his hometown and distances himself from his Chinese heritage by refusing to eat Chinese food or date Asian women. He returns for the holidays reluctantly, maintaining a guarded, tense demeanor as he tries to stay detached from his father's chaos.

Winnie is the matriarch of the Chao family and Leo's wife of 36 years. After decades of enduring her husband's infidelities and demands while co-running the restaurant, she has relocated to the Spiritual House, a local Buddhist community. She lives there as a nun in search of tranquility, though she remains deeply attached to her sons.

Katherine is a successful lawyer based in Chicago who was adopted from an orphanage in Sichuan, China, and raised by white parents in America. She has been engaged to Dagou for years and refuses to return his jade ring or accept his attempts to break off the relationship. She clings fiercely to her connection with the Chao family, treating it as her primary link to her Chinese cultural heritage.

O-Lan is an immigrant woman from Guangzhou who works in the kitchen at Fine Chao. She presents herself as unable to speak or understand English, which leads customers to treat her poorly. She maintains a quiet, ruthlessly efficient presence in the restaurant while closely observing the customers and the Chao family's escalating arguments.

Brenda is a white woman hired by Leo to work at Fine Chao. She is pragmatic about her desire for financial security and enjoys the intense devotion of Dagou, who recently left his fiancee for her. She is beautiful, confident, and unapologetic about her expectations for a comfortable life.

Alice is the daughter of the local Oriental Food Mart owner. She feels frozen in place by her obligations to her mother's store, working there to help support the family. She shares a growing mutual attraction with James, whom she has known since childhood.

Fang is Alice's brother and a young man living in Haven. He has chosen not to attend college and frequently observes and comments on the cultural dynamics of the town. He has a dark sense of humor that sometimes alienates outsiders.

Mary is the proprietor of the Oriental Food Mart in Haven. She manages the grocery accounts for the local community and makes practical business decisions, such as cutting off credit for customers when their debts grow too large.

Gu Ling Zhu Chi is the abbess of the Spiritual House, a Buddhist community located in an old elementary school. She provides guidance to her community of nuns and reads fortunes for the Chao men, predicting ominous events for their future.

Jerry is a white lawyer and long-time family friend of the Chaos. He regularly visits the restaurant and assists the family with legal matters, maintaining a strong commitment to them despite not fully understanding their cultural dynamics.

Lynn is a college student and family friend of the Chaos. Her decision to switch her academic major from data science to journalism causes distress for her parents, who view the move as a waste of opportunity.

Alf is the Chao family's French bulldog. His tendency to run away from the house mirrors the fractured and chaotic nature of the household.

Eric is a local Haven resident and Brenda's ex-boyfriend from high school. Recently divorced, he attends the Chao family dinner at Brenda's invitation because he has nowhere else to go for the holiday.

Cecilia is a woman attempting to locate her grandfather's lost carpetbag after he suffers a medical emergency at a California train station. She contacts the Chao family hoping to recover her family's property.