James is a successful artist in her late thirties living in San Francisco. She left the remote logging town of Six Rivers at eighteen to escape her troubled past and the darkness she sensed in her twin brother, Johnny. Drawn back to settle his affairs after his sudden death, she experiences phantom physical pains and a lingering psychic connection to him. She refuses to believe the official report that he died in a hunting accident and begins a quiet investigation of her own.

Johnny is James's twin brother, a solitary nature photographer who remained in Six Rivers while she moved away. He felt completely at home in the remote wilderness and worked tracking elusive owls for a science organization. Known around town for his stormy moods and disregard for boundaries, his volatile nature frequently required intervention from James and Micah. His recent death, officially ruled an accident by a hunter's errant bullet, acts as the catalyst for the story.

Micah is a grounded, quiet fly-fishing guide who has spent his entire life in Six Rivers. He formed a tight-knit trio with James and Johnny during their teenage years. Because he spends most of his days out on the rivers, he is deeply comfortable with isolation and the natural world. He harbors lingering resentment over James leaving town, but he steps up to support her upon her return.

Olivia is the high school art teacher in Six Rivers, maintaining the effortlessly cool style she had as a teenager. She and James were close friends who shared ambitious dreams of moving to the city to become professional artists. While James found commercial success, Olivia remained in their isolated hometown, finding a different path through teaching and mentoring local youth.

Sadie is the fierce and insular owner of the only café in Six Rivers. She has spent her whole life in the community and embodies the town's general distrust of outsiders. She views James as an intruder who abandoned them long ago. Sadie is fiercely protective of her teenage son, Ben, and closely guards the details of his parentage.

Quinn is James's boss at the California Academy of Sciences and her casual romantic partner. He is a polished, professional urbanite who wields influence in San Francisco's research and philanthropic circles. He originally hired Johnny for the owl tracking project based on James's recommendation.

Amelia is the town's park ranger and primary law enforcement officer. Having moved to Six Rivers rather than being born there, she is continually treated as an outsider by the insular locals. Despite the town's icy reception, she diligently attempts to do her job and integrate into the community while raising her teenage son.

Griffin is a deceased former classmate of James, Johnny, and Micah. Once the town's athletic "golden boy," his fatal fall during a high school camping trip at Trentham Gorge remains a dark cloud over the community. His memory actively haunts the main characters and drives much of the unspoken tension in Six Rivers.

Autumn is a highly gifted high school artist who recently secured a scholarship to a prestigious art school in San Francisco. Raised in a difficult home environment, she relies heavily on teachers and mentors for support. She disappears from town under mysterious circumstances, leaving her belongings scattered and her community largely unaware of her absence.

Ben is Sadie's quiet, withdrawn teenage son. He works at the family diner and is viewed as slightly eccentric by the rest of the town. He struggles deeply with his mother's overbearing nature and harbors intense anxiety about the unconfirmed rumors regarding his true parentage.

Rhett is Griffin's father, an abrasive and solitary man who lives in a cabin outside of town. He embodies the hardy, survivalist nature of the Six Rivers wilderness. He has spent the last twenty years nursing deep suspicions about the true nature of his son's death at Trentham Gorge.

Josie is a researcher for the California Academy of Sciences who initially trained Johnny for the owl tracking project. She is highly dedicated to the integrity of their scientific study and confronts Johnny when she discovers his questionable and destructive methods in the field.

Smoke is the Golden family dog. Following Johnny's unexpected death, he is briefly cared for by Micah before returning to the cabin to stay with James. He provides a grounding presence in the otherwise empty and memory-filled home.