Isaac is a 20-year-old, intellectually gifted young man who has spent years isolated as the primary caregiver for his disabled father. He dreams of escaping Buell to study astronomy in California. His physical frailty contrasts with his high intelligence, though his poor communication skills often complicate his life choices.

Billy is a former high school football star whose glory days have faded into an aimless routine of drinking and living with his mother. He relies on his imposing physical strength and has a documented history of brawling. He deeply fears leaving his hometown and losing his local legend status.

Grace is a 41-year-old woman working a physically demanding job sewing wedding dresses. She despises her double-wide trailer and regrets missing her chance to leave Buell as a young woman. Her life revolves around scraping by financially and fiercely protecting her son from the consequences of his temper.

Bud is the Chief of Police in Buell who lives an isolated life in a remote log cabin. A Marine Corps veteran, he takes a sociological view of crime, understanding that economic devastation drives his town's despair. He prefers informal justice and frequently bends the law to protect favored locals.

Lee is Isaac's highly educated older sister who escaped Buell to attend Yale. Now married into a wealthy New England family, she struggles with survivor's guilt over leaving her brother behind to care for their disabled father. She considers using her new financial resources to study law and pursue social justice.

Henry is a former steel worker who uses a wheelchair following a horrific industrial accident in a non-union mill. He represents the broken promises of the American middle class. His pride prevents him from asking for the help he desperately needs, forcing his son into a suffocating caretaking role.

Virgil is Grace's ex-husband and Billy's father. A laid-off steel worker, he is an opportunistic philanderer who sporadically attempts to re-enter Grace's life when he needs shelter.

Steve is a deputy police officer in Buell. He embraces a heavily militarized, confrontational approach to law enforcement, wearing a flak jacket and carrying a semi-automatic rifle on duty.

The Baron is an older, itinerant man who travels the freight train networks. He takes Isaac under his wing to teach him the mechanics of trainhopping, though he is highly motivated by self-interest.

Simon is Lee's husband who comes from a family with formidable financial resources. His wealth offers Lee security and the ability to afford private care for her father, though their marriage is strained.

Mary is the deceased mother of Isaac and Lee. Born to a wealthy Mexican family, she held a master's degree in music composition before ultimately taking her own life in the Charleroi lock channel.

Otto is a tall Swedish drifter who travels the local rail lines. He aggressively claims territory in a local machine shop, sparking a violent physical confrontation with the local youths.

Jesus is a threatening itinerant man traveling through Buell. He dangerously escalates a verbal dispute by holding a knife to Billy Poe's throat.

Murray is a drifter who is knocked unconscious during a violent brawl. He later emerges as a critical eyewitness capable of securing a murder conviction.

Clovis is a powerful shotcaller for a white supremacist gang within the Fayetteville state prison. He uses intimidation and violence to maintain control over the prison's racial hierarchy.

Dwayne is a pragmatic prison inmate affiliated with the white power gang. He explains the prison's corrupt economy to Billy and helps orient him to the brutal realities of incarceration.

Black Larry is an influential inmate within the white supremacist gang at Fayetteville prison. He tasks Billy Poe with carrying out a violent favor against a prison guard in exchange for continued gang protection.

Tucker is Billy Poe's volatile cellmate at the state prison. He instigates a violent physical altercation over bathroom usage that ultimately lands Billy in solitary confinement.

Glen is the local justice of the peace. He is highly concerned with local politics and municipal revenue, advising the police chief to distance himself from controversial murder investigations.