Kelly is a 26-year-old Brown University graduate working for the liberal magazine Citizens' Inquiry. She possesses a deep political idealism, having written her college honors thesis on the progressive principles of a powerful politician. Beneath her intellectual confidence, she wrestles with personal insecurities shaped by a strict upbringing and a previous difficult romance. She volunteers as a literacy tutor and hopes to make a meaningful change in the political sphere.

The Senator is a 55-year-old, physically imposing Democratic politician who recently withdrew from a presidential campaign. He wields his celebrity effortlessly, using his charm to attract supporters and disarm critics. While publicly championed for his humanitarian ideals and dedication to social reform, he privately exhibits a careless entitlement and weariness regarding his own public image.

Buffy is Kelly's closest friend from their time at Brown University. She possesses a brash, worldly confidence that contrasts sharply with Kelly's internal vulnerabilities. Comfortable with her sexuality and socially pragmatic, she easily moves through the power structures of the political and legal circles that surround her.

Ray is a successful lawyer who attended Andover with The Senator. He operates as an enabler and fixer within elite political circles. He maintains a genial public face at social gatherings, which obscures a calculating and highly practical approach to protecting the interests of his powerful friends.

Artie is Kelly's father, a businessman and conservative Republican with rigid views on authority. His political arguments with his daughter often serve as proxies for his demand for household obedience. He harbors deep anxieties about social appearances, which influenced his aggressive approach to correcting his daughter's childhood eye condition.

Madelyn is Kelly's mother, a woman who embodies conventional expectations of femininity. She deeply worries about her daughter's well-being but often reinforces traditional norms, counseling Kelly on the importance of placating male pride. She quietly harbors independent thoughts but rarely challenges her husband's dominance openly.

G—— is an unnamed man from Kelly's past who served as her only serious relationship before the events on Grayling Island. His previous rejection left her feeling diminished and hesitant to engage in new romances, shaping her cautious approach to the party at Buffy's cottage.

Grandpa Ross is Kelly's late grandfather, remembered fondly during her moments of extreme distress. He provided a gentle, loving counterpoint to the rigid authority of her father, teaching her that divine presence is found in the love people put into their lives.

Carl is a former 1960s activist who currently runs Citizens' Inquiry, the liberal magazine where Kelly is employed. He represents the aging generation of progressive political crusaders that Kelly idolizes in her academic and professional life.

Lucius is a Trinidadian plasma physics research fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He attends the party at Buffy's cottage and makes Kelly feel welcome, showing an obvious but unpressured attraction to her that helps ease her social anxieties.

Stacey is a former Brown University suitemate of Kelly's who attends the Fourth of July gathering. She represents Kelly's ongoing ties to her collegiate past and the tight-knit academic social circles she continues to move within.

Felicia is a science journalist and a friend of Buffy's who attends the holiday party. Her presence adds to the intellectual and professional atmosphere of the gathering on Grayling Island.

Lisa is a former classmate of Kelly's who once attempted suicide via a barbiturate overdose. Kelly found her and helped save her life, an event that returns to Kelly's mind during her own struggle for survival.