Mallory is an author living in North London who has failed to publish a second novel following her successful debut seven years prior. Feeling trapped in a creatively stifled and highly controlled domestic life, she desperately seeks new inspiration. Following cynical online advice that tragic stories about marginalized people sell well, she creates a fake dating profile to find a vulnerable subject. Her reckless search leads her to appropriate a young man's real-life struggles for her own fiction.

Leo is a young, unhoused gay man navigating the dangerous realities of addiction and survival sex in London. He constantly struggles to secure basic necessities like money, shelter, and drugs, making him vulnerable to predatory individuals. Despite his grim circumstances, he possesses a strong creative impulse, writing poetry online under the handle @Alias22 to process his pain.

Ronan is a successful commissioning editor at Netflix who projects a charming, capable public image. In private, he exerts intense psychological coercion over his wife, monitoring her movements, finances, and medication. He uses her past mental health struggles as leverage to invalidate her feelings and enforce his vision for their life together, which includes pressuring her to start a family.

Stacey is Mallory's mother, a woman who has worked diligently to distance herself from her working-class Birmingham origins. She affects a posh accent and values social status, frequently siding with her wealthy son-in-law over her daughter. She views Mallory's unhappiness as a childish fantasy and demands she conform to her comfortable, privileged life.

Stanley is an editor in the publishing industry who previously worked with Mallory on her debut novel. He represents the commercial demands of publishing, prioritizing marketable trauma and industry trends over ethical storytelling. He consistently pushes Mallory to heighten the danger and suffering in her work to satisfy audience expectations.

Brick is a violent drug dealer operating in the local chemsex subculture. He has a low tolerance for deception and responds to Leo's attempts to short-change him with immediate, severe physical brutality.

Mo is a client of Leo's who uses his financial leverage to inflict pain and control. He pays for sexual encounters but creates deeply frightening and abusive environments, taking advantage of his clients' desperation for cash.

Sam is a wealthy man who frequently hosts large, drug-fueled parties at his home on Priory Road. He uses dating apps to arrange the delivery of narcotics for his guests and expects strict compliance from his couriers.

Kerry is a nurse at the halfway house where Leo lives. She is highly suspicious of his excuses and strictly adheres to the facility's protocols, refusing to be swayed by his emotional appeals or charm when he violates the rules.

Joanie is an affluent friend of Mallory's who shares her North London social circles. She is quick to judge Mallory's erratic behavior and acts as an informant to Ronan, reporting back when she spots Mallory in unusual situations.

Nick is Mallory's deceased brother. Though he is not present in the current timeline, his death by suicide deeply affects the family. Mallory leverages his memory and questions about his sexuality to give her writing a false sense of personal authenticity to her publisher.