Heidi is an intelligent scholar and art historian who focuses her academic career on the representation of women in art. She frequently acts as an observer in her own life, letting more dominant personalities steer conversations and make decisions. As she matures alongside the second-wave feminist movement, she seeks to balance her personal desires with the changing social expectations placed on women.

Susan is Heidi's oldest and closest female friend. Ambitious and highly adaptable, she shifts her persona depending on her current career focus and social circle. She actively pursues professional advancement, initially attending law school before moving into a lucrative career in television production in Los Angeles.

Peter is a medical intern and eventual pediatrician who forms a lifelong, platonic bond with Heidi. As a gay man entering the medical field, he builds his own chosen family and actively works to combat the marginalization of his vulnerable patients. He serves as a grounding force for Heidi when she struggles with her own identity and career path.

Scoop is a charismatic, intensely confident journalist and lawyer who starts a successful magazine called Boomer. He maintains an on-again, off-again romantic connection with Heidi, often using his intellect to undermine her self-worth. He represents a traditional, patriarchal worldview masked by liberal politics.

Lisa is a successful children's book illustrator who holds traditional values regarding marriage and domestic life. She actively desires motherhood and willingly accepts a conventional role in her household. This places her at odds with the changing feminist ideals of her era, though she remains highly accomplished in her artistic field.

Denise is Lisa's younger sister who works in television production. She pays close attention to the passage of time and openly expresses anxiety about her biological clock. She looks for ways to capitalize on the concerns of women from the baby boomer generation through the media projects she develops.

Jill is a forty-year-old mother of four and homemaker who recently discovered the women's liberation movement. She recognizes her past tendency to ignore her own needs in favor of her family's and actively seeks to provide a nurturing, supportive environment for other women.

Fran is a thirty-year-old physicist who identifies as a radical lesbian feminist. She freely uses profanity and aggressively challenges conventional gender roles and the male-dominated structures of her profession. She expects total ideological commitment from the women who attend her group.

Becky is a seventeen-year-old girl whose parents abandoned her, leaving her in an abusive living situation with a boyfriend. She represents the vulnerable, younger demographic of women seeking refuge and solidarity in feminist collectives.

April is a popular television host tasked with interviewing Heidi, Scoop, and Peter. She drives the conversation toward controversial and trendy topics, demonstrating the media's tendency to prioritize entertainment value over substantive dialogue about women's issues.

Betsy is the managing editor of Boomer magazine. She actively participates in the competitive culture of early childhood education in New York, enrolling her unborn child in standardized test preparation courses to ensure future academic placement.

Debbie is an activist who protests the lack of female representation in major art museums. Dressed austerely in black, she organizes direct actions and strictly enforces the rules of her demonstrations, preferring to exclude men from women's marches.