An unnamed young Indigenous woman who lives on a modern Pueblo reservation. She experiences an ambiguous sexual and romantic encounter with a stranger in the mountains. Caught between her contemporary life, complete with pickup trucks and highways, and the traditional world of old stories, she struggles with her own identity, desires, and agency.

A mysterious, tall man with a dark chest who repeatedly insists on calling the narrator "Yellow Woman." He lives in the mountains and steals meat from local ranchers. His exact identity is intentionally ambiguous; he might be a Navajo man, a trickster figure, or a mountain spirit, and he exercises a quiet, persistent control over the narrator.

A fat, sweaty rancher with pale eyes and a cowboy shirt. He confronts Silva regarding a freshly butchered carcass, representing the violent intrusion of the modern, white-dominated world into the secluded environment of the mountain.

The narrator's husband, who resides on the Pueblo reservation. He provides a stark contrast to Silva's wild existence, representing the predictable routine of the narrator's modern life.

The narrator's deceased grandfather. During his life, he frequently told traditional Indigenous myths, specifically favoring stories about the legendary Yellow Woman. His past storytelling heavily influences how the narrator processes her current situation.

The narrator's mother, who lives on the reservation. She contributes to the sense of a steady, simple home environment that awaits the narrator's potential return.

The narrator's grandmother. She resides at the family home on the reservation, symbolizing the continuous matriarchal line and domestic order of the narrator's upbringing.

The narrator's young child at the Pueblo. The infant serves as a concrete, living tie to the narrator's established identity and daily responsibilities.