Lelia
Lelia is Ben and Hugh's younger sister. She's a 20 year old light-skinned black woman who is attempting to discover what she wants from life as we learn she's begun to write after meeting a middle aged white intellectual man named David. She soon runs off with Tony, a younger white man who she sleeps with. It's her first time and as Tony attempts to win her over he soon leaves when he discovers her brother is black. She is troubled and confused after Tony leaves and then attempts to come back, but when Davey, a man with a solid head on his shoulders comes along she begins to accept the truth of her relationship with Tony.
Ben
Ben is the middle sibling and a trumpet player. He has a desire to play music, but throughout the film he's mostly concerned with women and having a good time with his friends. He is a character that is always in deep contemplation and has a difficult time being present with his party lifestyle. He yearns for more and after getting beat up with Tom and Dennis at the end of the film finally begins to walk in a direction away from the friends that are pulling him down.
Hugh
Hugh is the oldest sibling of the three and a singer. He's been playing clubs for 10 years with his friend and manager Rupert. We see that Hugh believes he is an artist, but he's being diminished and thrown aside for female exotic performances that he must now introduce to the crowds that are bored by his performances. Hugh is protective of his baby sister and more of a disciplinary father figure to Ben throughout the film. He's also got a quick temper and threatens to become physically violent in order to control a situation.
Tony
Tony is a young white man who meets Lelia at a party and steals her away from David, the man she's currently seeing. He takes her on a date in the park and then back to his apartment to sleep with her. After they do he finds out Lelia was a virgin and in his guilt attempts to win her over and convince her he loves her. But when he's introduced to Lelia's brother and Rupert we see that he is a racist and leaves. Though he attempts to apologize and get back together with Lelia nothing will ever be the same between them.
