Carlotta is a Latin American literature professor living in San Francisco. She grew up in the United States after escaping her home country with her mother. Rootless and unaware of her full heritage, she experiences deep heartache in her marriage. She seeks healing and spiritual connection by exploring her ancestral culture.

Fanny is an African American woman who runs a massage parlor after previously teaching women's studies. She is highly attuned to spiritual connections and explores her African heritage. Fiercely independent, she challenges traditional institutions like marriage while striving to process her profound anger regarding racial oppression.

Lissie is an elderly African American woman with the extraordinary ability to remember her past lives. She is fiercely independent and highly protective of those she loves. Through her recounted memories, she offers observations on human history and ancient spiritualities.

Suwelo is an African American history professor struggling with his romantic relationships. He feels rejected by Fanny's views on marriage and frequently behaves insensitively toward the women in his life. His encounters with older generations prompt him to reevaluate his deeply ingrained sexist attitudes.

Arveyda is a famous American rockstar with a multiracial background. He is a sensitive musician who connects with others through his art. Despite his fame, he carries a void regarding his absent parents and seeks meaningful emotional bonds.

Hal is an elderly man and Lissie's lifelong companion. He is a talented painter who grew up timid after his father tried to suppress his artistic nature. Deeply devoted to Lissie, he relies on her protective strength while harboring unresolved fears.

Zedé is Carlotta's mother. She crafts traditional feathered capes to support her family after escaping imprisonment in South America. She remains connected to her ancestral culture and carries the immense weight of her traumatic past.

Ola is a famous African playwright and former political prisoner. He uses his writing to critique government corruption. He strives to bridge cultural divides through his art while navigating the complexities of his own personal flaws.

Olivia is Fanny's mother, raised in Africa by missionaries. She navigates the heavy legacy of her family's history. She encourages her daughter to practice forgiveness rather than harboring racial resentment.

Mary Jane is a wealthy white woman who establishes an art school in Africa for students with disabilities. Inspired by her ancestors' journals, she finds purpose through her connections in Africa. She operates independently of Western expectations.

Nzingha is Ola's daughter and Fanny's half-sister. She is highly passionate about her African heritage. She fiercely criticizes Western civilization's erasure of African history and goddess worship, ultimately rejecting a European education.

Celie is Olivia's biological mother and Fanny's grandmother. She provides a warm and loving home for Fanny during her childhood. She overcomes severe early trauma to build a life surrounded by supportive women.

Shug is Celie's live-in partner who helps raise Fanny. She is a charismatic woman who founds her own religion centered on generosity and universal love.

Rafe is Suwelo's late great-uncle. During his life, he shared an unconventional household with Hal and Lissie in Baltimore. He possessed a fearless nature that allowed him to embrace life fully.

Eleandra is an adventurer and painter from the past. Her journals document her deep connection to Africa and her transformative friendship with an African woman exhibited in a museum.

M'Sukta is a survivor from the Ababa tribe. She is kept as a living exhibit in a natural history museum in England, preserving her ancestors' wisdom despite profound isolation.

Jesús is a prisoner in Zedé's home country. He is devoted to his tribe's sacred stones and faces brutal consequences for his relationship with Zedé.

Katherine is Arveyda's mother. She founded a church in Indiana before withdrawing entirely from social life and passing away.

Robin is a therapist. She helps Fanny process her anger and violent fantasies regarding historical oppression.

Tanya is a white woman who was Fanny's childhood friend. She shares Fanny's frustration with racial injustice and reconnects with her later in life to discuss their shared past.

David is Hal's father. He grew up on a plantation and suppresses his son's artistic talents due to his own internalized bitterness and fear.

Samuel is a missionary who adopts Olivia. He eventually loses faith in Christianity after witnessing its use as a tool for colonial conquest.

Lance is Olivia's loving husband and Fanny's stepfather. He provides a stable and trustworthy presence in their lives.

Eula Mae is Lissie's mother. She reclaims her physical and spiritual health after her diet improves, allowing her to remember her own past lives.

Louis Sr. is Suwelo's father and a World War II veteran. He struggles with heavy drinking and abusive behavior, creating a terrifying home environment.

Marcia is Suwelo's mother. She suffers in an abusive marriage with Louis Sr., an experience that deeply scars her son.

Miss Rose is an older woman from Baltimore. She helps deliver food to Suwelo and provides companionship to Hal in his later years.