Chimane

Chimane is Karabo's closest friend. She is from Karabo's hometown, and works for the white family next door to Mrs. Plum. When their duties permit, Karabo and Chimane meet in the backyard to share the latest gossip and remark on the strange behavior of their employers. On their Thursday afternoons off, they dress up and go to town together to shop and to see their friends at the Black Crow Club. When Chimane becomes pregnant, she worries that her family will suffer if she quits work to tend a baby, and she gets an abortion.

Dick

Dick works for Mrs. Plum, tending the garden, cleaning the house, and caring for the dogs. He uses his earnings to send his sister to school. He is a good worker and too afraid of whites to break any rules. Although he is the first to know Mrs. Plum's secret, he does...