Feyikemi is a 29-year-old artist and widow living in Brooklyn. She channels her profound grief into her artwork, creating intense installations using her own blood and physical objects related to her trauma. Five years after losing her husband in a car accident, she is making her first attempts to re-enter the dating world, though she struggles with feelings of guilt and emotional distance.

Alim is a 48-year-old celebrity chef with two Michelin stars who resides in a glass mansion on a Caribbean island. He lost his wife to a drowning accident twenty years ago and has since focused his energy on his children and his culinary artistry. He incorporates bold colors into his personal style, wearing eyeliner and painted nails, and he connects easily with fellow artists.

Joy is Feyikemi's roommate and best friend in Brooklyn. As a confident New Yorker of Ghanaian descent, she provides a grounding, vibrant presence in Feyikemi's life. She actively encourages her friend to take risks while handling her own complicated romantic life with a married woman.

Nasir is a 27-year-old man living in New York who becomes captivated by Feyikemi. He is patient and eager to support her art career, arranging for her to exhibit her work at his home island's national museum. Despite his good intentions, his relatively sheltered life experiences make it difficult for him to fully grasp the depths of her sorrow.

Milan is a handsome man with Southern roots who becomes Feyikemi's first romantic partner after her husband's passing. He maintains emotional distance during their time together but shares a quiet, unspoken understanding of loss with her.

Pooja is a wealthy art collector who views taking up space as a personal philosophy. Beneath her expansive and confident exterior, she carries the sorrow of losing her young daughter to leukemia, which draws her to Feyikemi's emotionally raw artwork.

Lorraine is Nasir's sister and Alim's daughter. She chooses to live in the old family home in town rather than her father's modern mountain estate. She is highly protective of her family's dynamic and her late mother's memory.

Rebecca is the curator of the national museum on the island. She organizes exhibitions focusing on Black Diaspora artists and is a trusted, long-time friend of Alim Blake.

Jonah is Feyikemi's late husband. He died in a car crash five years before the events of the story, leaving a massive void in her life that continues to influence her personal relationships and professional art.

Marisol is Alim's late wife and the mother of his two children. She drowned twenty years ago in a swimming accident, and her absence remains a defining factor in the lives of her family.

Justina is a married woman of Ghanaian descent who is having a secret affair with Joy. She struggles to balance her cultural expectations with her personal desires.

Devon is a male painter and former romantic partner of Alim. Their relationship ended because Alim's children were uncomfortable with the situation.

Mr. Phillips is a garden designer and an old family friend of Alim who helps maintain the grounds of the mountain house.