J. T. Malone
A pharmacist in Milan, Georgia who failed out of medical school. That's not the worst of his plight though, since he diagnosed with Leukemia.
Judge Fox Clane
A racist and bigot with one foot still in the Confederate days, when his hatred was regarded as a good thing. Now he is sick from his gluttonous life, fat, old, and hateful.
Sherman Pew
A young black boy who is left in need after Judge Clane's mistreatment, and who moves into a white neighborhood and is killed in an act of hateful terrorism.
Martha Malone
The pharmacist's wife and care-taker in his final days.