Robert is a 23-year-old man with a delicate constitution and a poetic soul. Having spent much of his sickly childhood indoors reading, he yearns to explore the world beyond the horizon. He struggles with the conflicting desires of traveling on his uncle's ship and his unspoken love for the girl next door.

Andrew is the 27-year-old older brother of Robert and a sharp physical and temperamental contrast to him. Husky, sun-bronzed, and athletic, he is a natural farmer who deeply loves the land. He hopes to marry his childhood sweetheart and take over the family farm, finding total contentment in the physical world around him.

Ruth is a 20-year-old neighbor to the Mayo family, characterized as a healthy, blonde, outdoorsy young woman. While physically well-matched with Andrew, she is intensely captivated by Robert's romantic stories and poetic vision. Her choices regarding the two brothers set the central conflicts of the families into motion.

Mary is the young daughter of Robert and Ruth. She is a sickly child who senses the tension in her parents' household. She clearly favors her father, seeking his comfort and protection when her mother becomes frustrated or short-tempered.

Kate is the matriarch of the Mayo family. She is a caring, maternal figure who observes the underlying romantic tensions between her sons and Ruth long before her husband does. She tends to passively accept hardships and tries to smooth over difficult arguments rather than engaging in direct confrontation.

James is the proud patriarch of the Mayo family who views farming as his true life's work. He shares a deep, unspoken bond with his eldest son, whom he respects as a natural successor to the land. Stubborn and fiercely principled, he views any rejection of agricultural duty as a violation of a person's inherent nature.

Mrs. Atkins is Ruth's widowed mother and a wheelchair-bound invalid. Her physical restrictions have made her profoundly bitter and highly critical of those around her. A zealous Christian who firmly believes in personal responsibility over luck, she constantly voices her disapproval of her son-in-law's farming abilities.

Captain Scott is the maternal uncle of the Mayo brothers and an archetypal lifelong sailor. A perpetual bachelor, he operates a ship and offers to train his nephews at sea. He is practical about physical labor and prefers reliable crewmen over romantic dreamers.

Doctor Fawcett is a medical specialist brought in from the city to tend to a severe case of illness on the farm. Operating with professional detachment, he evaluates medical conditions directly, though he attempts to soften the harshest truths for his patients.

Ben is a local farmhand employed on the Mayo property. He experiences firsthand the decline of the farm's efficiency and eventually quits out of sheer embarrassment over how the property is being managed compared to neighboring lands.