Joseph "Patch" Macauley is a 13-year-old boy living in deep poverty in the Missouri Ozarks. Born with one eye, he embraces a pirate persona crafted by his mother to cope with his difficult reality. He is courageous and fiercely loyal, acting on instinct to protect others despite his small stature. When he intervenes to stop an attack on a local girl, he becomes the victim of a brutal kidnapping that abruptly ends his childhood innocence.

Saint is a 13-year-old avid beekeeper who lives with her grandmother in Monta Clare. She is tough, pragmatic, and entirely uninterested in traditional feminine expectations. When her best friend goes missing, she single-mindedly devotes herself to finding him, questioning local authorities and launching her own dangerous investigation into the town's secrets.

Norma is a pragmatic, bus-driving grandmother and sole guardian to her orphaned granddaughter. A devout Catholic who also enjoys smoking cigars, she projects a tough exterior and holds highly traditional views on gender roles. She provides essential stability but struggles to understand her granddaughter's relentless, unladylike pursuits.

Misty is a popular, athletic teenager from one of Monta Clare's wealthiest families. Her life changes forever when she is attacked by a predator and saved by a classmate's sudden intervention. She struggles with intense survivor's guilt following the incident, discovering a hidden toughness as she attempts to help find the boy who rescued her.

Eli is a physically imposing, terrifying older man who works as a school photographer. He uses his profession to identify and stalk young women, hiding behind religious scripture to justify his predatory behavior. His monstrous actions set off a chain reaction of tragedy across the Ozarks.

Grace is a mysterious, clever girl held prisoner in total darkness. She keeps hope alive for herself and her fellow captive by describing the world outside in vivid detail, teaching him subjects from school, and tending to his wounds. Her origins and reasons for being in the house remain a closely guarded secret.

Ivy is a widowed mother who struggles to provide for her son through low-paying custodial work. She battles severe substance addiction but deeply loves her child, encouraging his pirate fantasies to protect him from the harshness of their poverty. Her tenuous grip on stability shatters completely when her son is abducted.

Sammy is the wealthy, sharply dressed owner of the Monta Clare art gallery. Visually striking in tweed jackets and carrying an unnecessary cane, he has a reputation as a womanizer and heavy drinker. Beneath his abrasive exterior, he possesses a sharp eye for artistic talent and offers reluctant support to local youth who need guidance.

Chief Nix is the lead law enforcement officer in Monta Clare. He is a handsome, mustached man who feels a heavy burden of responsibility for the town's safety. He leads the official search efforts when tragedy strikes, acting as a patient sounding board for eager amateur investigators while keeping his own private life strictly hidden.

Marty Tooms is the local physician who frequently treats impoverished residents free of charge. He is a gentle, melancholy man whose face often betrays a deep inner pain. Despite his generous medical practice, his secretive behavior and unusual hours attract intense suspicion from those searching for answers to the town's recent crimes.

Charlotte is a tough, irreverent young girl raised within the wealthy Meyer family sphere. She is fiercely independent, prone to shoplifting, and highly skeptical of newcomers. Beneath her defiant attitude, she harbors a deep fear of abandonment and searches for steady connections among the adults in her orbit.

Jimmy is a polite boy from church who works at the local zoo and studies veterinary medicine. He projects a wholesome, uncomplicated image that deeply endears him to the adults in town. He frequently tries to gain the attention of the girl he likes, refusing to be deterred by her consistent indifference.

Callie is a local teenager and the daughter of a prominent policeman. Her sudden disappearance sends further shockwaves through the community, intensifying the atmosphere of fear and suspicion in the small town.

Richie is a local police officer and the father of Callie Montrose. He is a prominent figure in the community whose public displays of grief mask much darker realities behind closed doors.

Mary is a wealthy woman who highly values appearances and social standing within Monta Clare. She is protective of her family and highly critical of any associations she feels are beneath their status.

Franklin is a wealthy, influential father determined to see his daughter attend Harvard. He is willing to use his significant financial resources to eliminate any perceived obstacles to her success, regardless of the emotional cost to others.

Cooper is a prison librarian whose life was profoundly derailed by his sister's disappearance. He finds purpose in literature and forms quiet alliances with those who share his deep understanding of sudden, inexplicable loss.