Seft is the counterpart to Joia, an equal partner in the construction of the stone Monument. Though they share an ambition, they come from very different backgrounds. Seft is traumatized by the cruelty of his father. As the youngest child, he is bullied relentlessly by his older siblings. Seft is the target for Cog’s unspoken resentment and bitterness, imprinting on Seft a sense of injustice that stays with him into his adulthood. Cog dies early in the novel, but Seft never forgets his father’s cruelty. His work as one of the cleverhands is a rebuke to his father’s rejection of new ideas, while his desire to raise a warm, loving family is a direct rejection of his father’s worldview. 

Seft’s intelligence is a key part of his character. At a time when there is no formal system of education, nor any written language that can be used to preserve knowledge, Seft shows how human intelligence can manifest in the most unlikely places. He is a self-taught craftsman. Even before he joins the cleverhands, he is a practical, inventive, and skilled worker. Wun praises Seft’s raw talents, hinting to Seft that his intelligence may be the best way of escaping his violent and cruel family. Seft falls in love with Neen and starts a family. In doing so, he builds himself a new life, but even this new life is not what he expected. Seft joins the herders but does not become a herder himself. Quickly, he takes over as the leader of the cleverhands, giving his life a purpose and a direction that he did not know he could possess. 

As the leader of the cleverhands, Seft has constant opportunities to indulge his natural curiosity. He builds beds for his relatives, for example, which keep them warmer in the cold months. In spite of the intellect and talent that he shows, Seft voices his concerns to his wife that he does not work as other herders work. Neen assures him that he is appreciated by the herders, but Seft’s concerns show he does not want to be a burden, offering to help people in a way that his lazy, cruel brothers evidently do not. Much like Joia, the rebuilding of the Monument in stone is his life’s work. By building the Monument, Seft is able to contribute to his community, while also creating a physical textbook to pass on to the next generations, with the Monument embodying all the tricks, techniques, and innovations that he and his cleverhands have learned throughout their lives. 

As well as a spiritual venture, the construction of the stone Monument is a professional achievement for Seft, a tribute to the innovative ideas that he has nurtured in spite of his father and family. The final return of his brothers is evidence of this: They have no interest in the Monument, nor in helping the community. When they steal, Seft agrees to cut them out of his life, thus severing the final bond between himself and his abusive family.

While Joia represents the herders and the priestesses, Pia is part of the farmer community. She suffers from the oppressive, misogynistic farmer society as ruled by Troon. She gradually realizes this society has many flaws. Her visits to the various Rites and her romance with Han show her that the farmer way of living does not have to be the way it is. She learns of other forms of community, in which women are not treated like property, and communities in which wise elders offer guidance, rather than Troon imposing himself and his ideas on others through the use of violence. As Pia matures, she becomes a subtle social critic, envisioning a different version of society.

A key part of Pia’s development is her relationship with Han. She falls in love with Han at a young age, and this relationship shows Pia that the supposed differences between farmers and herders are not as insurmountable as men like Troon suggest. Han inspires Pia to abandon the farmer community, her most decisive rejection of the farmer communal ideology. For a year, Pia enjoys domestic happiness with Han. They share a house and raise a baby together, supporting themselves in open defiance of Troon and his beliefs. 

As with Mo, Pia knows that she is not simply allowed to leave the farmers. Troon feels entitled to bring her back, no matter the cost. Troon’s son Stam is a brutal continuation of his father’s violence. He fiercely polices the rights of women, from his abuse of Pia’s mother to his killing of Han to bring Pia back to Farmplace. The place of her greatest happiness becomes the place of her greatest sadness as she is dragged back to Farmplace.

In spite of the trauma and humiliation that Pia experiences, she is only more determined to reject Troon and his ideology. Through Duff, she teaches herself to love again. She loves him differently to Han, not least because she sees in Duff an alternate model of male behavior in the farmer community. Pia embarks on a quiet revolution, covertly encouraging the female farmers to reject Troon and his ideas. 

Pia’s revolution is not as flashy or as dramatic as Joia’s changes, but it is effective. She employs Duff as a puppet leader, using him to show the women of Farmplace that they are deserving of respect and rights. Through Pia, the reader not only develops an understanding of the differences between the cultures of the Great Plain, but also an understanding of how these cultures can be changed in different ways.