Johnny Frías
Johnny Frías is the novel’s protagonist. Johnny is a Californian highway patrol officer who is in his late thirties. Johnny is a hardworking and do-gooder man focused on accomplishing his assigned duties. John is also an individual who is ready to defend vulnerable people in society. John's Native and Mexican ancestors were among the first immigrants to settle in America. Consequently, Johnny is proud of his ancestry and always reminds his family members of their origin.
Johnny’s work is full of challenges. Firstly, Johnny is expected to cover several miles of the Californian highway daily to ensure motorists adhere to traffic rules. Riding many kilometers a day is tiresome, but Johnny has no alternative because he has to accomplish his daily duties. Secondly, Johnny interacts with rude and awful motorists who abuse him with racist remarks. Johnny says he is a "Moreno," meaning he has darker skin. More often, the white motorists confuse him for a Black man. Johnny remembers killing a white man who tried to insult a poor woman. Johnny quickly buried the white man in a shallow grave to ensure nobody knew about the killing. However, after several years, Johnny finds himself haunted by the spirits of the man he killed several years ago.
Bunny
Bunny is an innocent woman who a young white man assaults. Bunny is defenseless when the man assaults her. Fortunately, Johnny passes by and rescues Bunny. However, Johnny cannot tolerate the young man's abuses, and he kills him during the confrontation.
Ximena
Ximena is a Mexican woman who does jobs that no white person is interested in doing. For instance, Ximena cleans the houses of rich white women. Besides working as a house cleaner, Ximena does menial jobs to make ends meet. Ximena is a strong character because she shows how people from minority groups fail to get good opportunities in America.
