Ruma is a 38-year-old Bengali-American woman who recently relocated from Brooklyn to Seattle. Pregnant with her second child, she has left her legal career to become a stay-at-home mother. She grieves the sudden loss of her mother while trying to manage the isolation of her new suburban life. She feels torn between her American lifestyle and traditional Bengali expectations, especially regarding her aging father.

Ruma's Father is a retired pharmaceutical worker who embraces travel and independence after his wife's death. While visiting Ruma in Seattle, he occupies himself by building a garden for her backyard and spending time with his grandson. He secretly maintains a new romantic connection and quietly resists traditional expectations that he should move in with his daughter.

Usha is a Bengali-American woman recounting her youth. As a child, she is caught between her mother's strict traditionalism and her own desire to assimilate into American culture. She keenly observes the adults around her, often acting as a silent witness to their emotional struggles.

Aparna is Usha's mother, a woman who feels deeply isolated in America following her arranged marriage. She clings to Bengali traditions and finds her only true joy in the regular visits of Pranab, who shares her cultural background and interests. She is highly critical of American customs and fiercely protective of her Bengali identity.

Pranab is a charismatic, wealthy young man from Calcutta studying at MIT. Initially horribly homesick, he becomes a fixture in Usha's household, bringing life and energy to the family. He eventually dates and marries an American woman, drifting away from his cultural roots and the family that initially took him in.

Amit is an Indian-American medical journal editor who dropped out of medical school years ago. He is a highly anxious father who constantly worries about his daughters' safety. The sudden abandonment by his parents during his teen years has left him with lingering insecurities that complicate his marriage to Megan.

Megan is Amit's wife and a doctor finishing her demanding medical residency. Coming from a working-class background, she is driven and practical. She looks forward to their child-free weekend but finds herself increasingly frustrated by Amit's erratic behavior during the wedding trip.

Sudha is a highly competent, successful Bengali-American woman in her early thirties living in London. She achieves everything expected of her by her parents, securing degrees and an advantageous marriage. Beneath her perfect exterior, she harbors deep guilt over her role in initiating her brother's drinking habits.

Rahul is Sudha's younger brother, once considered the family's golden child after gaining admission to Cornell. His life derails due to severe alcoholism, causing him to drop out of school and become estranged from his parents. He cycles between recovery and destructive relapses.

Sang (Sangeeta) is a Bengali-American woman who has recently dropped out of a Harvard doctoral program to work at a bookstore. She lives with roommates while navigating a long-term, turbulent relationship with her boyfriend. She is frequently targeted by cold-calling Bengali suitors who admire her credentials without knowing her actual circumstances.

Paul is an English Literature doctoral student preparing for his oral exams. He develops an intense, voyeuristic crush on his roommate Sang, tracking her movements and scrutinizing her relationship with her boyfriend. He becomes entangled in Sang's personal life when a stranger begins calling the house.

Farouk is an Egyptian academic teaching Middle Eastern History at Harvard. He refuses to live with Sang and keeps her isolated from his personal life, treating her roommates with open disdain. He is manipulative and demands that Sang cater to his needs while offering little stability in return.

Hema is a classical studies professor who travels to Rome for a quiet vacation before her arranged marriage. She addresses the story to Kaushik, reflecting on the profound impact his family's brief stay in her childhood home had on her. She is pragmatic but struggles with the pull of past passions and unresolved feelings.

Kaushik is a roaming photojournalist whose career documenting global tragedies keeps him constantly unmoored. The defining trauma of his life is the death of his mother, Parul, which shattered his sense of home. He is emotionally guarded and relies on a rootless existence to avoid further pain.

Parul is Kaushik's mother, a glamorous and wealthy woman who returns to Massachusetts to face a terminal illness. She is particular about her surroundings and deeply loved by her family. Her eventual death acts as the catalyst that permanently alters Kaushik's life trajectory.

Adam is Ruma's white American husband who works at a hedge fund. His high salary allows Ruma to stay home, but his frequent business trips leave her isolated. He supports the idea of Ruma's father moving in, displaying a generous but somewhat detached attitude toward Ruma's family concerns.

Mrs. Bagchi is a statistics professor and widow living on Long Island. She meets Ruma's father during a European tour group. Independent and resolute about never remarrying or living with a man again, she enjoys a quiet companionship with Ruma's father during their travels.

Deborah is a white American woman who dates and marries Pranab. Coming from an academic family, she is beautiful, casual, and completely foreign to Aparna's traditional sensibilities. She tries to be inclusive and kind to Usha's family despite the cultural friction.

Pam is the beautiful daughter of the headmaster at Langford Academy. Growing up as the only girl on a boys' boarding school campus, she is accustomed to male attention. She maintained a close, entirely platonic friendship with Amit during their college years.

Roger is an older, wealthy British art magazine editor who courts and marries Sudha. He is worldly and established, preferring not to integrate deeply into Sudha's extended family. He values honesty and stability in his home life.

Deirdre is a woman from Vancouver living in Boston who begins repeatedly calling Sang's house. She eventually establishes a phone correspondence with Paul, confiding personal details about her life and disrupting the household with her persistent inquiries.

Dr. Chaudhuri is Kaushik's father, an accomplished engineer who bends over backward to accommodate his ailing wife's wishes. After her death, he quickly removes traces of her from his life and remarries a younger, traditional woman, creating a permanent rift with Kaushik.

Chitra is Dr. Chaudhuri's second wife, a conservative former schoolteacher from India. Widowed early in life, she brings her two young daughters into the Chaudhuri household. She is fearful of American customs and relies heavily on her new husband to navigate her new life.

Navin is the man Hema is betrothed to through an arranged introduction. He treats their courtship with chaste formality and represents the safe, practical future Hema believes she needs as she approaches her forties.