Amabelle Désir is a Haitian woman living in the Dominican Republic in the 1930s. Both her parents drowned, making her an orphan. She suffers from constant traumatic dreams. She was found by Señora Valencia and Papi, who took her home and provided her shelter and raised her to work as their help. She is loving and often childlike, and the people in her life rarely treat her as an equal. 

Sebastien Onius is a handsome, strong, sugarcane worker who is dating Amabelle Désir. His father was killed in a hurricane when he was a child and the memories of his dead father’s body haunt him constantly. He does not trust the ruling class in the Dominican Republic. His love for Amabelle is palpable. He remains a loyal friend, lover, brother, and son throughout the novel. 

Señora Valencia is a well-to-do woman who can be both compassionate and curt. When Amabelle and Valencia were children, she often balked societal norms and shared everything with her lower-class friend. Later in life, she talks down to Amabelle and expects her to be superhuman, but then dedicates years to trying to reconcile with Amabelle after the massacre. She does not approve of many of things Señor Pico, her husband, does, but she constantly glosses over his evil tendencies by stating he is a “good man” (138).