Julius is an older, formerly enslaved man living in a cabin on the ruined McAdoo plantation. He acts as a storyteller and keeper of the local history, drawing on his experiences from before the Civil War. He survives by harvesting and selling the wild scuppernong grapes that grow on the abandoned property.

The narrator is an unnamed businessman from Ohio seeking to invest in the post-Civil War South. He views the purchase of the ruined McAdoo plantation as a practical venture and a way to provide a better climate for his ailing wife. He approaches the local culture with a rational mindset and aims to manage his property with fairness.

Dugal McAdoo is a cunning enslaver who owns the plantation prior to the Civil War. He works his enslaved laborers without rest and constantly looks for ways to maximize his agricultural yields. To protect his valuable grape crop from theft, he hires a local conjure woman to curse the vineyard.

Henry is an enslaved man purchased by Dugal McAdoo. After accidentally consuming the cursed scuppernong grapes, he seeks out the local conjure woman for a remedy. He follows her instructions to apply grape sap to his head, an act that ties his physical health directly to the seasonal cycles of the vineyard.

The Yankee is an unnamed Northern stranger who visits the antebellum McAdoo plantation with promises of increasing the grape yield through scientific methods. He stays in the enslaver's home, implements drastic changes to the soil, and spends his time gambling.

Aunt Peggy is a local conjure woman whose spells command deep respect and fear among the local Black population. She utilizes natural materials and folk spirituality to affect the physical world, creating the curse on the grapes and the subsequent remedy for Henry.

Annie is the narrator's wife, originally from Ohio. She suffers from poor health, which prompts the couple's relocation to the milder climate of North Carolina. She accompanies her husband on his property viewing and acts as an engaged listener to the local history.