Isabel is a fiercely loyal teenage girl who escaped slavery and has spent five years on the run. She holds the group together using excellent wilderness survival skills and a strong instinct for self-preservation. Hardened by severe trauma, including a physical brand on her face from a former mistress, she focuses intensely on the immediate safety of her loved ones over grand political ideals. She struggles to allow herself to feel vulnerable or hopeful about the future.

Curzon is an escaped slave and former Patriot soldier who travels with Isabel. He is idealistic and generous, holding a strong belief in the possibility of a free America for all people. His desire to rejoin the Continental army frequently clashes with Isabel's focus on immediate, individual safety. He balances her intense caution with his quiet empathy and optimism.

Ruth is Isabel's younger sister who was sold away from her years prior. She has epilepsy and a developmental disability, but possesses a quiet, observant intelligence and a deep affinity for animals. Traumatized by her past, she initially rejects Isabel's attempts to reconnect, clinging instead to the family she found during her enslavement in Riverbend.

Aberdeen is a young man who was enslaved at the Riverbend plantation, where he suffered severe physical abuse from the overseer. He is highly protective of Ruth and pragmatic about his own survival. He views the Patriot cause with heavy cynicism, believing the British forces offer a more realistic path to freedom for enslaved people.

Serafina is an older enslaved woman who has taken Ruth in as her own child after losing her biological children to the slave trade. She is wise, perceptive, and deeply compassionate. She recognizes Isabel's emotional blockades and encourages the young girl to embrace vulnerability, warning her that a hardened heart is as dangerous as a physical wound.

Walter is an older enslaved man who acts as a father figure to Ruth and Aberdeen. Though he considers himself too old to survive an escape, he risks his own safety to supply the young people with directions and gear, guiding them into the swamps toward freedom.

Widow Hallahan is a harsh business owner running a laundry service during the army's occupation of Williamsburg. She employs indentured servants and treats Isabel and Ruth poorly, exploiting their labor while questioning the validity of their free status.

Mister Hallahan runs a busy tavern in Williamsburg and relies on extra help when the armies arrive. He views Isabel and Ruth with intense suspicion and looks for ways to profit off their vulnerable status, posing a direct threat to their freedom.

Ebenezer, often called Eben, is a white Continental soldier who fought alongside Curzon at the Battle of Saratoga. He has grown from a rough farm boy into a respectable sergeant, maintaining a loyal friendship with Curzon despite the racial divides of the era.

Miss Marrow manages the workers at the Williamsburg tavern. Unlike the Hallahans, she is reasonable and relatively kind to Isabel, rewarding her hard labor with decent food during the chaotic military dinners.

Prentiss is the cruel overseer of the Riverbend plantation. He physically abuses the enslaved people under his control and creates an environment of terror that drives the younger characters to flee into the swamps.

Sibby is a pregnant, kindly camp follower traveling with the Continental army. She helps Isabel and Ruth adjust to the grueling labor of cooking, cleaning, and splitting firewood for a company of soldiers.

Henry is an older Continental soldier who shares information with Isabel about the army's trench-digging strategies. He is observant and compassionate, taking the time to pray over the smallpox victims discovered in the forest.

Sergeant Armstrong is a white officer in the Continental army. He is Eben's superior and treats Isabel and Ruth cordially when they arrive at the encampment, integrating them into the camp structure.

Huntly is a widower escaping to freedom whose wife and newborn baby recently died on the journey. He provides the group with a helpful map and briefly offers to marry Isabel before parting ways.

Thomas Boon is a stubborn donkey purchased by Curzon to help pull their cart. Ruth takes an immediate liking to him and gives him his name, declaring him a blessing to their arduous travels.

Madam Lockton is Isabel and Ruth's former enslaver who maliciously sold Ruth away when the girls were young. She is a cruel woman who orchestrated the branding of Isabel's face before fleeing to London to wait out the war.