Pascal is a twelve-year-old boy born with a withered leg and hand. Having survived enslavement and the loss of his mother, he possesses a sharp, observant mind. He relies on his walking stick for mobility and views it as a tool for protection. Pascal joins his older brother to claim the government's promise of land, seeking safety for his newly formed family.

Gideon is Pascal's older brother, a young man who emancipated himself two years prior. He learned to read and write while away and returns with news of President Lincoln's emancipation. Driven by anger over past injustices and a fierce desire for respect, Gideon believes that owning land is the only way to secure true freedom and dignity.

Mr. Freedman is an elderly, skilled carpenter who joins the children on their journey. He carries himself with immense dignity and demands respect as a free man. Providing both practical skills and historical knowledge, he serves as a steadying guide for the younger travelers as they face the dangers of the postwar South.

This collective group of white supremacists and former Confederates seeks to violently oppose the progress of newly freed people. Driven by racism, they use terror, intimidation, and violence to maintain the old social hierarchies and strip the freed people of their rights and safety.

Nelly is an eight-year-old orphaned girl whom Pascal protects. Despite her youth and the trauma of enslavement, she maintains a playful spirit and a deep sense of inner joy. She provides an emotional anchor for the group, believing that freedom is an internal feeling rather than a physical possession.

Judith is a twelve-year-old girl from a poor white refugee family from Tennessee. Her family previously aided self-emancipated people and is now seeking their own farm. She is outspoken, empathetic, and desires an education, quickly forming a bond with Pascal based on their shared hopes for the future.

Gladness is a young woman skilled in herbal medicine who joins the traveling group in Georgia. She brings a calm, nurturing, and joyful presence to the newly forming family. Her optimism helps soften the harsh realities of their situation.

The Bibbs are a poor white refugee family from Tennessee seeking a farm. They treat Pascal and Nelly with immediate kindness, setting themselves apart from other white characters. Their shared vulnerability and search for land create a foundation of mutual aid with the City family.

Jerusalem City is Pascal and Gideon's mother, who was murdered by an overseer for demanding more food before the story begins. Though deceased, her memory heavily influences her sons. They adopt "City" as their surname to honor her legacy and carry her memory into their free lives.

Matthew is Judith's brother and part of the poor white refugee family from Tennessee. He shares his family's open-mindedness and willingness to ally with Pascal and Nelly, eventually joining the other children on their walks to the local school.

Mr. McPherson is a white Republican organizer tasked with registering freed people into the party. He delivers the government's promises of land, hospitals, and schools to the formerly enslaved people, acting as a representative of the Reconstruction era's political hopes.

Miss Harris is a Black teacher sent by the American Missionary Association to educate newly freed people. She is welcoming and encouraging to her students, recognizing Pascal's intelligence and striving to provide equitable educational opportunities.

Miss Anderson is a white teacher from the New England Freedmen's Union Commission. While she is present to educate the freed people, she harbors prejudices, expressing anxiety about integrated classrooms and thoughtlessly referring to Pascal by his physical disabilities.

Emmanuel is a former Union soldier navigating the postwar South. He takes a job working alongside the City family, utilizing the skills he learned in the army to serve as a cook. His background provides him with practical knowledge, including experience handling infectious diseases.

Mr. Alonzo Deliverance is a successful Black dairy farmer living in Georgia. Managing his own grazing ground and cattle, he serves as an example of agricultural success and independence for the newly freed people arriving in the area.