Moon Shadow Lee is the narrator and protagonist of Dragonwings. The story follows his journey as a young Chinese immigrant in the United States in the early 20th century and unfolds through a first-person point of view. The style of the narration suggests that Moon Shadow as narrator is an adult remembering the events of his youth, and this more mature perspective is interwoven with his youthful thoughts and experiences at the time the events took place. A round and dynamic character who develops considerably throughout the novel, Moon Shadow confronts a series of conflicts and changes that profoundly transform his outlook of the world.

At the beginning of the story, Moon Shadow is a seven-year-old boy living in China with his mother and grandmother. He longs for his father, Windrider, an immigrant to the United States whom he has never met. As a child, Moon Shadow is afraid of moving to America but is also enthusiastic about meeting his father. He is curious about the world and constantly asks questions. He is devoted to Windrider even before meeting him, saying, “I owed it to Father to obey him in everything – even if it meant going to such a fearful place as the Golden Mountain” (10).