Nozias is a poor fisherman living in the small coastal town of Ville Rose, Haiti. Following the death of his beloved partner, he struggles to raise his daughter alone in a small shore-side shack. He catches increasingly small fish and faces severe financial strain. He constantly weighs the agonizing choice of surrendering his daughter to someone wealthier who can provide a more secure life.

Claire is a bright seven-year-old girl living with her father in a seaside shack. Because her mother died giving birth to her, some townspeople view her with superstition, labeling her a revenant. She holds a deep fascination with the mother she never knew and constantly fears losing her father, prompting her to take desperate action when she overhears adult conversations about her future.

Gaëlle is a wealthy vendor in Ville Rose who struggles with immense personal grief following the tragic deaths of her husband and young daughter. She runs her late husband's fabric store as a therapeutic outlet. She seeks to fill the emotional cavity in her life and finds herself drawn to Nozias's young daughter, whom she briefly nursed as a newborn.

Max Senior is a prominent, wealthy schoolmaster in Ville Rose. Divorced and highly protective of his social standing, he wields significant influence over the community's educational and social dynamics. He readily uses his money and authority to manage problems, particularly those created by his son, though his protective instincts often cause collateral damage for others.

Max Junior is the privileged, conflicted son of the town's schoolmaster. After spending a decade living in Miami and working in a sandwich shop, he returns to Haiti to meet a child he fathered years ago. He struggles with his father's expectations, his unrequited feelings for his childhood best friend, and his severe disconnection from the local culture.

Bernard is an ambitious young man from a destitute slum whose parents run a successful restaurant catering to local gang members. He briefly trains with the police before deciding to pursue his dream of becoming a radio journalist. He aims to use the local radio station to broadcast truths about the town's violence, but he finds himself caught in a dangerous web of gang politics.

Louise is a dedicated fifty-five-year-old radio host and adult literacy teacher. She uses her radio program to give a voice to the disenfranchised members of Ville Rose, treating her show as a vital public service. She deals with chronic health issues and maintains a complicated, uneven dynamic with the local schoolmaster.

Flore is a former maid in the Ardin household who now successfully runs her own beauty shop in Port-au-Prince. She harbors deep resentment toward the wealthy Ardin family for the circumstances surrounding her pregnancy. She utilizes a local radio interview to assert her voice and protect her family from wealthy influences.

Jessamine is a young woman from Miami who travels with Max Junior to his hometown. She acts as his closest confidante, understanding his flaws and lingering emotional attachments better than his own family does. She calmly observes the town's social dynamics from an outsider's perspective.

Claire Narcis is Nozias's late partner and mother to his daughter. Before her tragic death in childbirth, she worked in a funeral parlor and often brought small gifts to the local fabric vendor. Her memory profoundly influences her surviving family members every single day.

Laurent is Gaëlle's late husband and a successful fabric shop owner. His sudden death at the local radio station during a gang-related shooting marks the beginning of a long period of mourning for his wife.

Rose is Gaëlle and Laurent's daughter, whose arrival coincides with her father's tragic death. She brings immense joy to her mother before passing away in a devastating car accident years later.

Albert is the local undertaker who successfully campaigns to become the mayor in Ville Rose. He helps secure a school scholarship for Nozias's daughter and maintains close ties with the town's wealthier citizens.

Odile is a fiercely protective mother attending adult literacy classes to better her situation. She clashes directly and violently with her instructor over the discipline of her misbehaving son.

Henri is a badly behaved young boy in Ville Rose whose disruptive actions during a reading lesson trigger a fierce physical dispute between his mother and the teacher.

Pamaxime is a strong, quiet ten-year-old boy who physically resembles the men of the Ardin family. He meets his father for the first time under tense circumstances and remains closely guarded by his mother.

Yves is a former promising soccer player whose life is haunted by his involvement in the car crash that killed Rose Lavaud. He leaves flowers on the young girl's grave every year to express his lingering guilt over the tragedy.

Tiye is a one-armed local gang leader who frequents the restaurant run by Bernard's parents. He wields significant power over the police and local politics, making him a dangerous adversary for anyone who crosses him.

Caleb is a fisherman from Ville Rose who occasionally helps his illiterate friend Nozias write letters. His sudden disappearance at sea triggers a desperate, community-wide search effort.

Josephine is Caleb's wife, who relies on sign language to communicate. She watches the sea anxiously alongside the townspeople after her husband's boat is destroyed by a large wave.