Amelia Evans

Amelia Evans, owner of the forlorn café, is a tall, formidable, and independent woman known for her crossed eyes. Raised in solitude by her widowed father, she inherits the largest store in her small town, making her the wealthiest woman in the vicinity. Her industrious nature and shrewd business acumen allow her to thrive in various roles, including self-educated doctor, carpenter, meat packer, and moonshiner. Despite her success, Amelia is often uneasy around the townspeople, who are intrigued by her tumultuous relationships with Marvin Macy and Cousin Lymon.

Shortly after her father's passing, Amelia marries Marvin Macy but famously storms out of the bedroom on their wedding night. She quickly ejects him from her life, acquiring his property in the process. Years pass, and she finds herself enamored with a diminutive hunchback named Cousin Lymon, who suddenly appears, claiming distant kinship. This unexpected love softens Amelia, drawing her into the community. She transforms her store into a café, offering the townsfolk a sanctuary where they can escape the mundane aspects of their lives and let her homemade liquor unveil their hidden truths. However, her happiness is shattered when Marvin returns from prison, prompting confusion and turmoil as she battles with Lymon's strange affection for Marvin. Despite her usual resolve, Amelia is overwhelmed by emotional chaos and fails to act when Lymon invites Marvin into their home. Her attempt to poison Marvin is thwarted by a mix-up of plates. After losing a physical confrontation with Marvin and Lymon, Amelia retreats into herself, raising prices in the café, causing business to dwindle until it is shuttered. Now, she is a bereft figure, occasionally glimpsed forlornly through the closed windows.

Cousin Lymon Willis

Cousin Lymon Willis, a hunchbacked drifter, becomes the object of Amelia's affection. Standing only about four feet tall, with crooked legs, he unexpectedly enters her life, claiming kinship. Despite his frailty, moodiness, and tendency for crying fits, Lymon possesses an extraordinary ability to connect with strangers, piercing Amelia's loneliness and endearing himself to the townspeople, thus contributing to the café's prosperity. His bizarre fascination with Marvin Macy becomes evident upon Marvin's return from prison. Lymon fawns over Marvin, following him around and seeking his attention, undeterred by Marvin's hostile reactions.

Lymon precipitates a crisis when he brings Marvin into Amelia's personal quarters. During a fierce fight between Amelia and Marvin, Lymon intervenes to save Marvin by tackling Amelia, and the two men ultimately flee together after destroying the café. Through Lymon, the author illustrates that the profundity of human love is more about the intensity of the lover's feelings than the qualities of the beloved.

Marvin Macy

Marvin Macy, known as the most handsome man in the region, is Amelia's erstwhile husband. His childhood, marked by abuse and abandonment, shapes him into a wild, audacious, and cruel man, notorious for seducing young girls, brawling, stealing, and possibly killing. Despite a brief character transformation during his courtship of Amelia, he is unsuccessful in consummating their marriage, which dissolves after just ten days. Amelia retains all of his assets, including land and a gold watch. After a stint in prison for robbing gas stations, Marvin returns to town, where Lymon quickly befriends him. This friendship allows Marvin closer proximity to Amelia, as he frequents the café and ultimately moves into her living quarters with Lymon.

Their complex relationship of love and animosity reaches a climax in a brutal, bare-knuckled fight in the café. Marvin is nearly defeated until Lymon's intervention allows him to escape. Together, Marvin and Lymon abscond after looting the café and pilfering the gold watch.