Jessica is the eldest of three foster sisters who lived at Wild Meadows under the care of Miss Fairchild. Currently working as an expert in home organization, she uses extreme tidiness to mask her severe anxiety and a developing dependency on Valium. She steals pills from her clients' homes to cope with her panic. When police discover bones at her former foster home, she struggles to maintain her facade of control.

Norah is the middle foster sister, characterized by her tough exterior and confrontational attitude. She uses physical aggression and transactional relationships as defense mechanisms to survive in the world. She frequently goes on dates with men solely to have them purchase food or help around her house. Despite her abrasive personality, she remains intensely protective of her sisters.

Alicia is the youngest of the Wild Meadows foster sisters. She channels her past trauma into a career as a social worker, striving to help children who are stuck in the system. She struggles with severe emotional vulnerability and low self-esteem, convinced that her childhood experiences make her incapable of maintaining a healthy adult relationship.

Miss Fairchild is the owner of Wild Meadows Farm and the foster mother to Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. She projects an image of a perfect, caring mother to the outside world while enforcing extreme frugality, constant cleaning regimens, arbitrary rules, and cruel punishments inside her home. She oscillates unpredictably between excessive sweetness and sudden anger, keeping the children in a perpetual state of terror.

Amy is a toddler brought into the Wild Meadows household. Unlike the temporary foster babies, Amy receives Miss Fairchild's undivided attention. The child eventually rejects Miss Fairchild's affection, strongly preferring the company of the three teenage sisters, which triggers intense jealousy and violence from the foster mother.

Detective Patel is an investigator looking into the discovery of bones at the Wild Meadows property. She conducts intensive interviews with the sisters in Port Agatha, pushing through their defensive answers to uncover the truth about their childhoods.

Meera is a child protection lawyer whom Alicia deeply admires. She is supportive, highly observant, and offers crucial legal advice to the sisters during the police investigation. She harbors a mutual romantic attraction to Alicia but patiently waits for her to overcome her emotional barriers.

Kevin is a man who goes on a date with Norah. After she abruptly ends the evening and punches him in the face to escape his pursuit, he resorts to extortion. He threatens to report her to the police unless she sends him explicit material.

Phil is Jessica's husband, working as a groundskeeper at a country club. He radiates a natural, easygoing contentment that Jessica often envies. Their marriage experiences underlying strain due to Jessica's hidden anxieties and secret addiction.

Scott is a social worker responsible for placing children, including Jessica and Norah, at Wild Meadows Farm. He consistently overlooks Miss Fairchild's erratic behavior and signs of abuse, appearing far more interested in keeping her happy than ensuring the welfare of the children in his care.

Dirk is a neighbor and stable hand who lives near Wild Meadows during the sisters' childhood. He is later revealed to be a registered sex offender who relocated to the country to escape his past. He becomes heavily entangled in the police investigation regarding the events at the farm due to his proximity to the girls.

Zara is a woman who briefly lived at Wild Meadows as a foster infant. She travels to Port Agatha following the news of the police excavation, intensely curious about the farm's history. She asks blunt questions about the property, hoping to uncover answers about her own hazy past.

Ishir is a bartender in Port Agatha who recently returned to town to care for his mother. He knew Norah during their childhood when his parents owned the local grocery store. He shows genuine kindness toward Norah, sparking a warm connection between them.

Aaron is an older foster child who maintains a friendly rapport with Alicia, even though he is not officially one of her cases. Having been raised by his late grandmother, he worries deeply about the future of his younger, traumatized foster brother.

Theo is a young, deeply traumatized foster child recently removed from a neglectful home environment. He struggles to interact with adults and currently lives in the same foster placement as Aaron.

Detective Hando is one of the local police investigators handling the excavation at Wild Meadows. He conducts Norah's individual interview, questioning her directly about her violent past and her relationship with Miss Fairchild.

Detective Tucker assists with the Wild Meadows investigation and handles Alicia's separate interview at the station. She expresses shock at Alicia's blunt description of Miss Fairchild as a monster.

Debbie is one of Jessica's home organization clients. After noticing missing medication, she suspects Jessica of stealing Valium and threatens to expose her to the media and the police, pushing Jessica further into a panic.

Rhiannon is one of the many foster infants temporarily placed with Miss Fairchild, who quickly pushed the baby's care onto the teenage girls. As an adult, she returns to Port Agatha to meet the sisters and learn about the police investigation.

Bianca was temporarily placed at Wild Meadows after experiencing physical abuse at her original home. Like the other infants, she was largely cared for by the teenage sisters. She joins the group of former foster children at the pub in the present day.

Sandi is Alicia's childhood social worker who brought her to Wild Meadows after her grandmother was hospitalized. She delivers devastating news to Alicia without offering meaningful comfort or checking on her living conditions.