An unnamed young woman who acts as the storyteller for her mother's history. She internalizes the traumatic events her mother survived before she was born. By recounting the details of her family's escape from domestic violence, she assumes the responsibility of memorializing the pain and resilience of the women who came before her.

The mother of the narrator, who grew up in a highly volatile household. As a child, she recognized the danger her family was in and attempted to orchestrate an escape for her mother and brothers. As an adult, she bears physical scars and carries a lingering sense of fear, which translates into anxious caretaking of her own daughter.

A 50-year-old woman recently retired from her long-term job at the post office. She lives in an old stone house by the river that she and her husband spent years renovating. Without the distraction of labor, she plunges into a deep emotional despair, struggling to find purpose outside of caring for others.

Eliza's husband of 25 years, a teacher in his early forties. He survived a traumatic and abusive childhood, which led Eliza to dedicate much of her life to supporting him. He is highly attentive to his wife's moods and intervenes when she falls into a post-retirement depression by enrolling her in local classes.

A seventeen-year-old girl desperate to leave her hometown and attend college in Maine. Following her mother's recent death, she is expected to take over the lifelong care of her brother Buddy. Caught between familial duty and her personal ambitions, she organizes a trip to Gainesville to drop Buddy off at a specialized institution.

Joanie's brother, who has an unspecified cognitive atypicality. He is grieving the recent death of their mother, with whom he shared a close routine. He observes the world around him with innocence and remains largely unfazed by the tension between the adults dictating his future.

A teenage athlete who recently switched from swimming to diving. Outside the pool, she functions as the sole caretaker for her severely mentally ill mother. She relies on the leniency of local bodega cashiers to secure frozen dinners, facing an increasingly dark and lonely future trapped by her caretaking obligations.

A woman suffering from severe paranoia and delusions. She refuses to eat out of fear that her food is contaminated, subsisting almost entirely on vodka. Her illness prevents her from providing any maternal support, forcing her teenage daughter to manage the household alone.

A woman reuniting with her former middle-school friend group. She feels disconnected from the others, realizing they hold onto rigid, judgmental views of her past. She struggles to reconcile her own memories of a formative, happy post-high school summer with the shameful narrative her friends insist upon.

A woman dying of cancer who seeks to clear her conscience. She asks her childhood friends to share the worst things they have ever done before offering her own confession. She holds onto deep regret over a cruel betrayal she committed against Nic when they were in middle school.

An heir to a wealthy and powerful banking family. Shielded from consequences by his grandparents' money, he coasts through school and accepts a job at the family firm with no genuine interest. He develops a severe dependency on alcohol and struggles with a total absence of personal ambition, relying entirely on his sister to manage his crises.

A local woman who works at a restaurant near the family's summer property. She maintains strict boundaries regarding her personal space and independence. When Chip attempts to push for a formal relationship, she continually asserts her need for solitude and casual terms.

Chip's older sister (also referred to as Elizabeth). She distances herself from the toxic dynamics of their grandparents but remains fiercely dedicated to fixing Chip's mistakes. She stops drinking due to the family's history of alcohol dependency and sets Chip up at the caretaker's cottage to force him to get sober.

A deeply private mother who suffers the catastrophic loss of her husband and young son during a natural disaster. Stricken by immense grief at a refugee center, she encounters a wandering little girl. Desperate to heal her broken heart, she takes the girl back to her home city and begins raising her under her deceased son's identity.

A small, aimless girl found wandering the disaster shelter. She is taken back to the city by the woman, who shaves her head and enrolls her in school using a deceased boy's medical records. As she grows, she settles into a quiet life with her new caretaker.

A young girl placed under the supervision of her half-sister for the season. She quickly forms an intense, possessive attachment to her caretaker. When her sister's attention shifts to a neighborhood boy, Aura experiences consuming jealousy and seeks ways to enact justice for feeling abandoned.

Aura's older half-sister, tasked with caretaking duties for the summer. She enjoys swimming and hanging out at the house, eventually striking up a romance with the boy next door, which distracts her from her responsibilities to Aura.

A recent college graduate seeking a clean break. She secures a cheap rental in a poolhouse by agreeing to watch a mastiff and takes a job at the Department of Human Services digitizing files. Young and somewhat naive, she struggles to interpret the complex moral situations she encounters in her new community.

An elderly woman living in California who requires help maintaining her property and voiceless mastiff dog. She spends time telling her young tenant extravagant, rehearsed-sounding stories about her remarkable past.

A rigid coworker who listens to an evangelical pastor on headphones while working. She lives out of a Volkswagen with her young daughter to escape an abusive partner. Her difficult circumstances draw the unsolicited intervention of her younger coworker.

Michelle's mother, trapped in a highly dangerous marriage. She desperately wants to protect her children but often succumbs to panic and fear when confronted by her violent husband. She struggles to make decisive choices, leaving her daughter to take the wheel during their attempted escape.

The violent and volatile patriarch of Michelle's childhood home. He physically assaults his wife and children, creating an environment of constant terror. He tracks the family down when they attempt to flee in the car.

A shaved-headed, energetic young woman who works as a gardening instructor. She develops a flirtatious dynamic with Eliza during the course. She views her interactions casually, engaging in banter without recognizing the emotional weight it carries for her older student.

The aunt of Joanie and Buddy. She strongly disapproves of Joanie's plan to take Buddy away to an institution following their mother's death.

A middle-aged bus passenger who eavesdrops on Joanie and Buddy. She claims to have the "power of perception" and uses it to interrogate Joanie about her plans. She lectures Joanie on Christian morals and a woman's proper duty to her family.

One of Nic and Birdie's childhood friends. She is morally rigid and quick to cast judgment on Nic's past behaviors, interrupting her stories to assert her own version of events. She spends her free time at the hotel bar looking for companionship.

Another member of the childhood friend group. She closely aligns herself with Melodie's perspectives, showing a similar disdain for Nic's life choices and actively participating in hotel gossip sessions.

The mother of Chip and Libby. She feels slighted by the family patriarch's business decisions and eventually distances herself from the great house to start her own firm.

The wealthy patriarch of the banking family, often called Bear. He uses his immense fortune to control his descendants, passing the company down to his favored son while ensuring his grandson Chip is given unearned opportunities.

The matriarch of the family. She is highly judgmental of outsiders and lower-class individuals. She wields the family's money and influence to protect them from legal and social consequences.

The boy next door who begins a summer fling with Gus. His constant presence infuriates Aura, who views him as an invader stealing her sister's affection.