Anita is 11 years old when the book begins. She is a precocious, patriotic student in an American school in the Dominican Republic. She is also a romantic, given to dreaming, writing fantasies in her journals, and wondering about the superstitions of Chucha. Anita is close with her family but is perhaps the most tightly linked with her father, Papi, whose admiration and respect seem the most meaningful to her. When political strife invades her home in the form of SIM, the secret police force of the current dictator, Anita is forced to question her own ideas about patriotism, family, and home. After Papi is executed, Anita vows to remain strong in order to honor his memory and his wishes for her. 

Mami appears to be a high-strung, overworked mother, but in fact she was one of the founders of the current manifestation of the rebel group The Butterflies. Mami worries about her children and their safety, but with the added tension of knowing that their house is most likely bugged with recording devices placed there by SIM. What appears to be her anxiety over the normal demands of life is eventually shown to be a result of her bravery as she helps write and disseminate tracts for The Butterflies.