Millie is a Black senior student majoring in hospitality management at the University of Arkansas. She works as a resident assistant at Belgrade Dormitory, a job she approaches with high competence and diligence. Having taken a gap year to care for her mother, Millie is highly motivated to save money for a down payment on a house in Fayetteville. Her ambition and desire to please authority figures occasionally cloud her judgment regarding professional boundaries.

Kennedy is a transfer student from the University of Iowa who moves to Fayetteville seeking a fresh start. Ostracized by her previous academic community following a traumatic event, she hopes to study creative nonfiction under her literary idol, Agatha Paul. Kennedy feels intensely isolated in her new environment and struggles to connect with her suitemates, often misinterpreting their actions as intentional exclusion.

Agatha is a 38-year-old journalist and visiting professor at the University of Arkansas. Known for her successful book on grief, she begins researching student access to wealth under the guise of studying wedding culture. Reeling from a recent breakup, Agatha views her time in Fayetteville as a temporary, consequence-free period. She observes the lives of the undergraduate students with a voyeuristic detachment, using their private conversations as material for her articles.

Tyler is a junior undergraduate resident at Belgrade Dormitory. Coming from a wealthy background, she attempts to downplay her financial privilege during an interview with Agatha Paul. Tyler is highly focused on her own comfort and frequently manipulates her social environment, including convincing Millie to switch her suitemates' room placements.

Peyton is a Black undergraduate student residing in Belgrade Dormitory. She is pragmatic about her living situation and clearly communicates her boundaries, repeatedly asking her suitemates to maintain a clean kitchen. While she attempts to coexist peacefully, she finds herself drawn into the escalating tensions between Tyler and Kennedy.

Jenna is a sophomore at the University of Arkansas and part of Tyler's immediate friend group. During an interview with Agatha, she casually mentions receiving a practice paycheck from her father. This specific detail deeply fascinates Agatha and alters the focus of her journalistic research.

Casey is a senior student at the University of Arkansas. She shares her friends' privileged background and frequently spends time in Tyler's suite, participating in the group's complaints and social schemes.

Robin is Agatha's ex-partner and a former principal dancer. She struggles with Crohn's disease and has a drastically different approach to finances than Agatha, freely spending money on personal lifestyle expenses. Their conflicting views on money and shared responsibilities create ongoing tension in their relationship.

Colette is a resident assistant at Belgrade who quickly becomes close friends with Millie. She is observant but lacks initiative in her residential duties, preferring to let Millie handle difficult situations. Colette engages in petty rivalries with other staff members and devises schemes to retaliate against disrespectful residents.

Aimee is Millie's boss in the university's residential system. She values Millie's hard work and introduces her to an opportunity to house-sit a property owned by her relative, offering Millie a path toward her goal of homeownership.

Nichelle is Kennedy's highly supportive mother. She acts more like a friend than a parent, offering constant affirmation and helping her daughter manage the transition to a new university.

Ryland is a resident assistant at Belgrade Dormitory who forms a tight-knit social group with Millie and Colette. He is eager to participate in campus events, such as camping out for free fast food, and generally goes along with Colette's plans.

Joanie is a resident assistant at Belgrade Dormitory. She maintains an antagonistic relationship with Colette and Ryland but forms a separate, professional bond with the resident director, Josh.

Josh is the resident director at Belgrade Dormitory. He oversees the resident assistants and relies heavily on Millie's competence, grooming her for a future leadership position within the dormitory system.

Glory is Millie's mother, who suffers from glaucoma. She shares a close bond with her daughter, spending time watching home improvement shows during Millie's year off, which inspires Millie's dream of homeownership.

Richard is Millie's father, who welcomed her when he and Glory were in their early forties.

Jean is Agatha's friend and confidante. She offers Agatha professional and personal advice, encouraging her to submit her profiles to her agent and supporting her academic career.

Simi is an undergraduate student who becomes friends with Peyton, inciting feelings of envy in Kennedy.

Shea is a student in Kennedy's class who lives in a nearby sorority house. Kennedy briefly attempts to form a friendship with her, but the connection fizzles out due to miscommunication.

Colton is a boy from the University of Iowa whom Kennedy finds attractive. An incident at his home sets off a chain of events that forces Kennedy to leave the university.

Sadie is a beloved dog belonging to a student at the University of Iowa. An incident involving Sadie serves as the catalyst for Kennedy's social ostracization and subsequent transfer to Arkansas.