Billie Jo Kelby
Billie Jo is the protagonist and narrator of the novel. In 1934, Billie Jo is a thirteen-year-old girl living on her family's dried-up wheat farm in Cimarron County, which is part of the Oklahoma Panhandle (a northwestern extension of Oklahoma that was formerly part of Texas). Billie Jo is a talented piano player who learned to play from her mother, a classically trained pianist. Billie Jo is upset with her mother for not being more encouraging of her pursuit of piano, which Ma worries will get in the way of Billie Jo's schoolwork and chores. In a tragic accident, Billie Jo throws a pail of burning kerosene at her heavily pregnant mother, who dies shortly thereafter in childbirth. Billie Jo gets serious burns on her hands while attempting to put out the fire; the burns limit her ability to play piano, which she avoids anyway because it reminds her of her mother. Grieving her mother and newborn brother, Billie Jo dreams of leaving the family farm and her taciturn father to get "out of the dust." After traveling by boxcar toward California, Billie Jo realizes her idea of getting away was merely a fantasy. She returns to her father resolved to make the most of her life in Oklahoma. She begins playing piano again, practicing daily as the skin on her hands heals. Billie Jo also begins a flirtation with Mad Dog, a local boy who is a talented singer she used to envy.
Bayard Kelby (Daddy)
Bayard is Billie Jo's father. He is the primary antagonist. A wheat farmer, Bayard stubbornly insists that he will manage to grow wheat again on the family's dusty farm. Following the accident with the kerosene, Bayard struggles to take care of his burned wife while dealing with the guilt of having left the pail of kerosene next to the stove. He disappears on a drinking binge, leaving Polly to languish in pain and dehydration with Billie Jo—her hands wrapped in bandages—unable to feed her water properly. After Polly's death, Bayard is mostly silent around Billie Jo. Eventually, he attends night-school classes and begins a relationship with Louise, the night school teacher. When Billie Jo returns from her aborted trip to California, she begins calling Bayard "Daddy" again and the two repair their relationship.
Polly Kelby (Ma)
Ma is Billie Jo's mother. Described by Billie Jo as someone who is plain-looking and has bad teeth, Polly is at her most charming when showing off her skills as a classical pianist. Ma and Billie Jo have an antagonistic relationship. Billie Jo wishes her mother was more encouraging about Billie Jo's piano playing and she suspects her mother of being jealous that she does not have the same opportunities to perform. Shortly before she is due to give birth, Ma is badly burned when Billie Jo accidentally throws a pail of flaming kerosene at her. Ma stays alive long enough to give birth to Franklin, but dies during the labor. She is buried with her son on the farm.
Franklin Kelby
Franklin is Billie Jo's infant brother. He dies shortly after his birth and is buried with Ma on the family farm. Billie Jo gives him the name Franklin when the priest at the funeral asks Bayard to give the child a name. The name is an allusion to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the American president at the time the book is set.
Louise
Louise is Bayard's girlfriend; Bayard begins seeing her after Ma's death while taking classes at the night school where Louise teaches. Billie Jo appreciates that Louise is a good listener and a good cook, and that she respects Ma's memory by not imposing herself in Ma's place. While Billie Jo initially prefers to keep Louise at an emotional distance, she increasingly opens up to Louise and wishes that she will move into the family home with them.
Miss Freeland
Miss Freeland is Billie Jo's teacher. She informs Billie Jo about the latest news from the federal government and its New Deal legislation. When a family of Dust Bowl migrants set up a makeshift home in the schoolhouse, Miss Freeland welcomes them into the school community and allows them to stay for as long as they need.
Mad Dog Craddock
Mad Dog is a local farmer's son who is talented singer. Billie Jo envies his good lucks, charming personality, and ability to sing. Later in the book, she admits to having a crush on Mad Dog. The affection is mutual, and he often stops by her farm on his weekly visits home from Amarillo, where he has taken a job with a radio station.
Arley Wanderdale
Arley is a local musician who teaches music at the schoolhouse. He encourages Billie Jo's piano playing by asking her to perform at various functions. Later he asks her to join his band, the Black Mesa Boys, as they perform locally for money. After Billie Jo burns her hands, Arley encourages her to keep playing, but he doesn't push her when she decides to take a break from piano.
Vera Wanderdale
Vera is Arley's wife. She travels with Billie Jo, Arley, and their band of musicians when they perform for money in the summer.
Livie Killian
Livie is Billie Jo's closest friend. Early in the novel, Livie and her family move west in search of work opportunities outside the Dust Bowl. Later in the book, Livie writes to Billie Jo and says that neither of her parents has found work in California and her brother Reuben has left the family to find work on his own.
