Joe is an uneducated but financially successful American businessman who owns a munitions factory. He survived a wartime scandal regarding defective airplane engines, having been exonerated while his business partner was sent to prison. He presents himself as an affable neighborhood patriarch and justifies his life choices as necessary for his family's material security.

Chris is a World War II veteran who works in his father's manufacturing business. He carries heavy survivor's guilt from leading a company where most of his men died in combat. Finding it difficult to reconcile his wartime experiences with the comfortable postwar reality, he holds onto a strict personal idealism. He hopes to start a new life by marrying his missing brother's former girlfriend.

Kate is the matriarch of the Keller family, deeply traumatized by the disappearance of her son Larry three years prior. She flatly refuses to believe he is dead, interpreting natural occurrences and astrology as signs of his eventual return. Her insistence on this belief forces the rest of the household to walk on eggshells around her.

Ann grew up next door to the Kellers before her family moved away following her father's imprisonment. She previously dated Larry before he went missing in the war. Having accepted Larry's loss, she returns to her hometown at Chris's invitation, hoping to move forward with her life despite the tense history between their fathers.

George is Ann's older brother and a lawyer practicing in New York. Like Ann, he cut ties with his father after the wartime scandal. He travels to the Keller home directly from visiting his father in prison, carrying questions and resentments about the past.

Jim is a local doctor who purchased the Deevers' former home. He makes a comfortable living supporting his family but secretly harbors a desire to do lower-paying medical research. He masks his dissatisfaction with his life through a dry, pessimistic sense of humor.

Sue is Jim's pragmatic and financially motivated wife. She prioritizes material security and resents anything that might encourage her husband to abandon his lucrative medical practice. She is highly perceptive of neighborhood gossip and straightforward about her opinions.

Frank is a well-meaning but credulous neighbor who avoids the harsh realities of the postwar world by dabbling in astrology. Having avoided the wartime draft due to his age, he now lives a comfortable domestic life. He actively fuels Kate's hope by researching astrological charts for her missing son.

Lydia is Frank's cheerful and domestic wife. She previously dated George Deever before the war but ultimately married Frank, settling into a quiet life centered around home appliances and helping out her neighbors.

Steve is Ann and George's father and Joe Keller's former business partner. He is currently serving time in a New York prison after being convicted of shipping defective aircraft engines during the war. His imprisonment has left him estranged from his children and ruined his reputation in his hometown.

Larry is the Kellers' older son who went missing in action during World War II in 1943. Though absent, his memory dominates the household. An apple tree planted in his honor was recently blown down by a storm, sparking renewed tensions over whether he is dead or merely missing.

Bert is a young neighborhood boy who frequently visits the Keller yard. He plays an ongoing, imaginative game with Joe where Joe acts as the police chief and Bert acts as a patrolling officer.