Cheyenne is a 16-year-old girl who lost her sight and her mother in a severe car accident three years earlier. Though legally blind, she retains a tiny, ten-degree sliver of peripheral vision on her left side and relies heavily on her heightened senses of touch, hearing, and smell to process her surroundings. As the daughter of the wealthy president of Nike, she inadvertently becomes a high-value hostage when a teenager accidentally steals the car she is resting in. She is resourceful, determined, and highly observant, constantly working to turn her lack of sight into a strategic advantage.

Griffin is a teenage high school dropout who steals cars to help supply his father's illegal chop shop. He carries a burn scar on his throat from a meth lab explosion that occurred during his childhood. Living in deep squalor under the constant threat of his father's physical abuse, he feels he has no options for a better life. Despite his criminal actions, he displays clear discomfort with cruelty and slowly takes on a protective role toward Cheyenne by ensuring she receives food, water, and medication.

Roy is Griffin's father, a violent man who runs an illegal automobile chop shop out of a barn in the woods. Formerly a mechanic who turned to cooking meth after losing his job, he enforces strict authority over his son and his associates through physical abuse and intimidation. He dresses in an open black leather Harley vest over a flannel shirt and carries the distinct smell of tobacco and peppermint. Upon learning Cheyenne's true identity, he pivots the car theft into a high-stakes ransom plot.

TJ is a short, skinny man who works for Roy's auto theft ring. He is crude and immediately unsettling, demonstrating a predatory sexual interest in Cheyenne that forces Griffin to stay on guard. He follows Roy's orders but frequently complains about the division of the ransom money.

Jimbo is an associate in Roy's auto-dismantling operation. A heavy-set man who wears so many layers of clothing that he resembles the Michelin man, Jimbo helps manage the logistics of the chop shop and the subsequent hostage situation. He is somewhat more practical than TJ, though fully complicit in the crimes.

Nick is Cheyenne's father and the wealthy president of Nike. Though his demanding career frequently required him to travel during Cheyenne's childhood, he loves her deeply and uses all his financial and public resources to locate her after the abduction. He is targeted by Roy specifically because of his corporate status.

Danielle is Cheyenne's stepmother. Originally hired by Nick Wilder as a private nurse to care for Cheyenne after the car accident, Danielle eventually married Nick. She has a slender build and straight blonde hair. She employs a tough-love approach that successfully pushes Cheyenne out of her post-accident depression, though Cheyenne harbors mixed feelings about her integration into the family.

Phantom is Cheyenne's highly trained guide dog, given to her when she turned sixteen. Because Danielle suggested leaving him behind during a quick errand, Phantom is not present during the car theft. He represents safety and autonomy for Cheyenne in her daily life.

Duke is a half-pit bull kept chained in the yard by the Sawyers to guard the chop shop. Conditioned to be aggressive by an abusive environment, he startles Cheyenne initially. However, he quickly calms down when he realizes Cheyenne responds with stillness rather than fear or violence.

Spencer was Cheyenne's childhood dog. He was walking alongside Cheyenne and her mother on the side of the road when a swerving vehicle struck them.

Janie is Griffin's mother. After Griffin sustained severe burns from an explosion caused by Roy's meth operation, Janie defied Roy to take her son to the hospital. Griffin grew up believing the story that she abandoned him and returned to Chicago right before he was discharged.