Trey is a twelve-year-old boy who has grown up assisting his father with elaborate confidence schemes targeting wealthy families. Accustomed to enrolling in elite boarding schools just long enough to secure marks, he views their criminal activities as a necessary means of keeping his family together. When the family moves to a public school district in Boxelder, Tennessee, Trey experiences normal suburban life for the first time.

Trey's Dad is a charming and highly skilled confidence artist who uproots his family frequently to run financial scams on wealthy targets. He justifies his criminal lifestyle to his children by claiming he only steals from those who can afford the loss, presenting himself as a modern-day Robin Hood. Meticulous in his planning, he sets his sights on the wealthy residents of the Pointe with a fake electric car prototype called El Capitan.

Kaylee is a civic-minded middle school student living in the middle-class Albion Pond neighborhood. Disgusted by the city's preferential treatment of the wealthy Pointe district, she leads a youth club called YAAP dedicated to cleaning up the polluted local water source. She is fiercely determined and outspoken, showing a deep commitment to social equity.

Arianna is Trey's younger sister who idolizes their father and the family's grifting lifestyle. Unlike Trey, she feels no remorse about deceiving people and focuses intensely on the rewards of their criminal activities. She constantly seeks opportunities to prove her own skills in manipulation and trickery, believing she can outdo her older brother.

Logan is a student living in an expensive home in the wealthy Pointe neighborhood. As the son of high-end art dealers, he provides Trey with a valuable social connection to the local elite. He is pragmatic and quickly incorporates Trey into his daily routine at Boxelder Middle School, inadvertently introducing his new friend to the local dynamics.

Kaylee's dad is a hardworking local teacher who lives in the middle-class Albion Pond neighborhood. Unlike the wealthy residents of the Pointe, he relies on a modest nest egg intended for his retirement and his daughter's college education. He is easily captivated by the promise of the El Capitan investment opportunity, seeing it as a chance to secure his family's future.

Mona Lisa, often called Mona, is a neighborhood cat who generally dislikes people but takes an unexpected liking to Trey. She frequently roams between the large houses in the Pointe, inadvertently helping to introduce her owner to the new neighbors and providing Trey with a sense of domestic stability.