Coyote is a 13-year-old girl attempting to adjust to a stationary life in Oregon after spending five years traveling the country in a converted school bus. She feels isolated at her new school and remains fiercely attached to the memory of her deceased mother and sisters. When she realizes she accidentally gave away a poetry book containing her mother's final wishes, she secretly orchestrates a cross-country road trip to retrieve it under false pretenses.

Rodeo is Coyote's father, a quirky and affectionate man who adopted a transient lifestyle on the road to avoid confronting the deaths of his wife and two daughters. Now attending counseling and attempting to settle down in a small Oregon town, he is finally showing a readiness to process his grief. He maintains a habit of inviting strangers onto their bus, reflecting his fundamental belief in the goodness of people.

Salvador is Coyote's best friend, whom she met during a previous cross-country journey. He represents a steady, consistent presence in her life and is one of the few people willing to challenge her when she avoids the truth. Now showing signs of growing up—including sporting a new mustache and talking about his girlfriend—he illustrates the natural progression of adolescence.

Candace is Rodeo's neighbor in Oregon and his developing romantic interest. She is a practical, organized woman who prefers planning over spontaneity, which contrasts sharply with the Sunrise family's free-wheeling lifestyle. Despite Coyote's resistance and suspicion, she remains consistently patient and attempts to find a place within their unconventional family dynamic.

Wally is an adventurous, friendly Asian American man who joins the road trip after a chance encounter in Colorado. He possesses a deep appreciation for literature and loves Reuben sandwiches. He maintains a calm, understanding demeanor even when facing direct racial prejudice during the pandemic.

Doreen is an elderly woman who recently lost her sister to the COVID-19 virus. She possesses a deep appreciation for simply being alive and maintains a perspective focused on daily gratitude. She joins the group's journey, bringing her own experiences of grief to help guide Coyote through her conflicting emotions.

Audrey is a straightforward and occasionally abrasive classmate of Coyote's in Oregon. Like Coyote, she does not fit in with the other students and prefers spending her time in the library. She offers blunt but practical advice when Coyote mentions the ashes.

Ava is one of Coyote's older sisters who died in a tragic car accident years prior to the start of the story. Her death, along with those of her mother and sister, completely altered the trajectory of the surviving family members' lives.

Rose is one of Coyote's late sisters. The tragic loss of Rose in a car crash deeply affects how Coyote views the world, causing her to cling desperately to the family she has left.

Coyote's late mother is a lingering presence whose memory anchors Coyote to the past. She left behind specific instructions regarding her ashes written in a copy of Mary Oliver's *Red Bird*, prompting Coyote and Rodeo to embark on their cross-country quest.