Minnow is a 14-year-old boy living in San Francisco's Japantown. Artistic and thoughtful, he frequently sketches his surroundings but struggles to comprehend the rapidly escalating prejudice against his community following the attack on Pearl Harbor. As the youngest of three brothers, he sometimes resents the strict rules imposed by his eldest brother but relies heavily on his family and friend group for emotional support.

Mas is the 19-year-old brother of Minnow and Shig, serving as the protective head of the Ito family following their father's death. He gave up his college education to care for his family, taking on a heavy burden of responsibility. Mature and level-headed, he attempts to guide his younger brothers and their friends through the frightening changes occurring in their city.

Shig is 17 years old and the middle Ito brother. Naturally funny and outwardly carefree, he tries to lighten the mood but struggles internally with intense anger over the injustice of the incarceration orders. He finds the Japanese concept of *gaman*—enduring the unbearable with patience and dignity—difficult to accept as he watches his neighbors lose their homes.

Frankie is a 19-year-old boy who was sent from New York to California to live with his uncle in hopes of keeping him out of trouble. Deeply angry and outspoken, he wanted to enlist in the army after Pearl Harbor but was rejected due to his race. He wrestles constantly with his outrage over the government's hypocritical treatment of Japanese Americans.

Tommy is the small, sensitive older brother in the Harano family. As the only son, he faces immense pressure to be perfect and conform to traditional expectations. He constantly feels like a disappointment to his demanding parents and wrestles deeply with his dual identity as an American teenager and a son of Japanese heritage.

Aiko is Tommy's 14-year-old sister and the favored child in the Harano family. Assertive and observant, she recognizes the unfairness in how her parents treat her brother. She is brave enough to step in when she sees trouble, balancing her desire for peace with a clear sense of boundaries.

Twitchy is an energetic, charming, and universally liked 19-year-old. Known for his constant motion and habit of fidgeting with a butterfly knife, he is tall, good-looking, and maintains an easygoing attitude. Unlike many of his friends, he focuses less on anger and resentment, preferring to look for the good in people and experiences.

Stan is an 18-year-old who responds to the incarceration with quiet resignation rather than outward anger. Believing that colleges will reject him due to his race, he stubbornly refuses to ask charity organizations for help. He possesses a strong sense of pride and tries to find ways to secure an education and a future despite the prejudice surrounding him.

Mary is Stan's 16-year-old sister. She is profoundly angry about her family's relocation to a stricter camp and the decisions her father has made for them. She acts out her frustrations by rebelling and arguing with her parents, struggling to find stability in the chaotic, prison-like atmosphere.

Keiko is an 18-year-old girl who lives with her aunt and uncle after the FBI took her parents away immediately following Pearl Harbor. Emotionally guarded and fearful of losing anyone else, she hesitates to let people get close to her. She finds solace in the main friend group, gradually opening up to them.

Bette is a vibrant, 17-year-old girl defined by her relentless optimism. Refusing to let the injustice of her incarceration break her spirit, she insists on seeing the good in her surroundings and desires a normal teenage life filled with dances and romance. Her bright outlook sometimes causes friction with her more pessimistic friends.

Yuki is a 16-year-old girl who maintains a hopeful, somewhat naive outlook on life despite her imprisonment. She loves playing softball and dreams of a professional future in the sport. Her enthusiasm is tested when she is forced to confront explicit racism from strangers outside the camp walls.

Yum-Yum is a 16-year-old girl who is abruptly forced to become the head of her household after her father is taken by the FBI and her mother falls ill. Burdened by these new responsibilities, she wrestles with feeling trapped and resentful. She is a talented musician who uses her friends as a source of support and minor rebellion.

Kiyoshi is a 17-year-old boy whose family moved to the Tule Lake camp to escape his abusive stepfather. He is kind and charismatic but carries deep trauma from his home life, causing him to freeze during moments of extreme stress or conflict. He strives to find his inner strength and protect those around him.

Mrs. Ito is the widowed mother of Mas, Shig, and Minnow. She relies on her eldest son to help run the household but provides spiritual and emotional guidance to her boys, encouraging them to practice *gaman*—endurance with dignity—in the face of the government's racist policies.

Mr. Harano is the father of Tommy and Aiko. He is a strict and demanding parent who continuously expresses disappointment in his son while heavily favoring his daughter. Outraged by the incarceration, he becomes involved with the camp's protest movements and contemplates returning to Japan.

Mr. Katsumoto is Stan and Mary's father. He struggles to manage the difficult choices presented by the loyalty questionnaire and the increasingly volatile atmosphere of the camps. His decisions inadvertently cause intense friction within his family, particularly with his daughter Mary.

Mrs. Katsumoto is Stan and Mary's mother. She handles the devastating loss of their family business with outward politeness, maintaining a dignified facade even when dealing with the very people benefiting from her community's forced removal.

Fred is Yum-Yum's nine-year-old brother. Too young to fully understand the political realities of their incarceration, he requires constant supervision and care from his teenage sister after their father is taken by the FBI and their mother falls ill.

Mr. Morimoto is a judo teacher incarcerated at Tule Lake. He takes on a leadership role among the men held in the camp's jail, demonstrating courage by standing up to the guards and enduring unfair punishments to protect others.

Joe is a handsome teenage boy whom Bette meets during the relocation. He becomes the object of Bette's romantic fantasies, though his actual level of interest and loyalty quickly proves to be less steadfast than she hopes.

Mr. Uyeda is an older man imprisoned in the camp. His tragic encounter near the camp's perimeter fence serves as a brutal reminder of the prisoners' reality, dramatically escalating the tension and protests among the incarcerated community.