Maya Alazova, the protagonist and first-person narrator, is a round and dynamic character. Hailing from Kazakhstan, she is a student at Beacon Junior High and on the gymnastics team. With strict parents who limit her non-school activities, gymnastics enriches her life, giving her a sense of physical freedom and an opportunity to socialize with her friends. While Maya struggles with the culture clash, she is well-liked by her peers—she has a close friend in Shannon Lui, and her crush, Daniel, likes her back.

While her school life gives her a sense of ease—showing her assimilation into American culture—her home life is characterized by tension. She is in constant fear of her father, often blamed for her brother’s actions, and is overburdened with household chores—her parents’ treatment of her is often dictated by traditional gender roles, and conflict rises when Maya defies their expectations.

As the eldest daughter, Maya is also made to be a caregiver. She is her family’s translator, protecting her parents from a world that is often unkind to immigrants. She shields Nurzhan from her father’s wrath. She puts her duty to her family above all else; when her mother is injured, she sacrifices her gymnastics training to do her mother’s cleaning jobs and household labor.