Bernadette
This missing housewife is not just a trophy. She is a MacArthur "Genius" Grant winner (one of the most prestigious awards an artist can earn) for her work as a ground-breaking architect. Now, she lives as a stay-at-home wife whose tedium becomes too much, especially when she finds out she is being cheated on by Elgin and exploited by Manjula.
Bee
This curious, trouble-making 15 year old is on the hunt for her missing mother. Although, her mother had been writing letters, Bee hadn't gotten them, because she was kicked out of school before the school could pass them along. Bee ends up at an exclusive charter school, but eventually, she gets kicked out from there too. When Bee and her father head to Antarctica, they steal a boat. Bee learns that her mother is fine.
Elgin
A Microsoft wiz who makes a fortune working for the famous company. His relationship with Bernadette is tense, and when he finds a beautiful new employee in his department, they hit it off. He only gets caught because Elgin has fallen in love with a friend of a friend of Bernadette's, and word gets back to her.
Audrey
Bernadette's archenemy is Audrey, another mother from Bee's school who claims (wrongly) that Bernadette ran over her foot in a car. Eventually, though, Audrey turns out to be a savior for Bernadette, helping her escape from the meeting with Elgin, explaining the affair between Elgin and Audrey's personal friend, Soo-Lin.
Soo-Lin Lee-Segal
This is a Microsoft employee with whom Bee's father, Elgin has his affair. It's not purely sexual; they really seem to be falling in love, which puts Bernadette in a funny position when she finds out. Soo-Lin and Elgin get caught because Audrey finds their correspondence.
Manjula
To Bernadette, Manjula is an Indian contact who helps her solve difficult problems, an assistant of sorts. But in reality, Manjula is a Russian operative, establishing rapport with the family so they can steal the family's fortune.
