Celia is an 18-year-old woman working as a servant for the wealthy Bettencourt family in Portland, Oregon. With a white mother and a Chinese father, she passes for white to secure employment and avoid the rampant anti-Chinese prejudice of the 1880s American West. She harbors a secret romance with her employers' son and relies on her resilience to endure increasing hostilities and personal challenges.

Marie is a Chinese immigrant who manages the Dewdrop Inn, a local brothel in Portland. She previously worked in an orphanage in China and possesses knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine, including acupuncture. Though she maintains a strict and sometimes surly facade, she offers practical shelter to women facing desperate circumstances.

Stephen is the privileged son of Portland's mayor, preparing to leave for King's College at Oxford University to study medicine. He dismisses the cultural prejudices of his time, assuring Celia that he does not care about her Chinese heritage or what their future children might look like.

Gordon is a wealthy lumber baron in Portland who publicly supports the Chinese Exclusion Act and uses racist rhetoric to build political alliances. Despite his outward bigotry, he is deeply involved in the city's vice trades, profiting off the immigrant populations he publicly denounces.

Lettie is an Irish immigrant who traveled to Portland as a mail-order bride, only to be deceived and abandoned. Facing anti-immigrant prejudice that makes finding traditional work difficult, she secures lodging and employment at the Dewdrop Inn. She maintains a confident, unapologetic demeanor despite her difficult circumstances.

Owen is a man attempting to pay off his brother's debt by completing tasks for powerful figures in Portland. He claims to have information about the whereabouts of murderers involved in a massacre of Chinese miners. His involvement with the city's criminal element places him in precarious and dangerous situations.

Edwin is the mayor of Portland and a veteran of the Union army during the Civil War. He is highly ambitious, seeking a senatorial seat and courting the political support of powerful local businessmen and union leaders. His political aspirations consistently take precedence over personal morality or loyalty.

Georgia is the socially conscious wife of Mayor Bettencourt. She is acutely aware of the racial and class boundaries of 1880s Portland and actively enforces them within her household. She views any deviation from Victorian propriety as a severe threat to her family's standing.

Abigail is the young daughter of the Bettencourt family. She possesses the confidence of the wealthy upper class, knowing that her parents will always side with her over the household staff. Her discovery of Celia's heritage fundamentally shifts the power dynamic in the household.

Chung Jun is Celia's father, a Chinese immigrant who worked on the Union Pacific railroad before taking a job in a coal mine in Rock Springs. He converted to Christianity to marry a white missionary's daughter. He represents the cultural heritage that Celia struggles to acknowledge.

Frank is a young ranch hand and horse thief burdened by immense guilt. He is tormented by his participation in the brutal robbery and murder of Chinese gold miners along the Snake River, an event that forces him to confront the humanity of his victims.

Pearl is Celia's infant daughter, born into precarious circumstances at a Portland brothel. Her fair features relieve her mother's immediate fears of discrimination, though her existence remains a driving force for Celia's fight for stability and safety.

Timothy is the driver for the Bettencourt household. He observes the shifting dynamics within the home and eventually seeks a fresh start at a ranch in Colorado, offering Celia a pragmatic way out of her difficult situation.

Mrs. Waterstone is the strict housekeeper for the Bettencourt family. She acts as an enforcer of Georgia Bettencourt's rules, efficiently handling the dismissal and relocation of staff members who fall out of favor.