Patience is an 18-year-old runaway currently working as a cleaner in a London care home. She fled her home on a houseboat after a fierce argument with her mother regarding her parentage. To survive, she rents an attic space above an art gallery, paying her landlord with intricate paper cuttings she creates. She is resourceful, fiercely protective of her independence, and possesses a strong sense of justice regarding how the elderly residents are treated.

Clio is a therapist living alone in an upscale pink house. Her life fractured two decades ago when her infant daughter was abducted during a trip to the supermarket. She hides her deep vulnerability behind a demanding, hardened exterior and struggles to maintain control over her environment. She is currently out of money and desperately trying to figure out how to continue paying for her estranged mother's care facility.

Frankie is a prison librarian who lives on an itinerant houseboat named The Black Sheep. She is currently reeling from the loss of her daughter, who ran away exactly one year ago. Driven and highly anxious, she decides to risk her quiet life by seeking out the truth, carrying a heavy secret about a terrible choice she made years prior.

Edith is an 80-year-old resident at the Windsor Care Home. A former flight attendant and supermarket detective, she remains sharp, observant, and highly critical of her surroundings. She resents her daughter for placing her in the facility and plots to escape, relying heavily on her young friend Patience to help her execute her plans.

Jude is Clio's brother and the owner of the Kennedy Art Gallery in Covent Garden. He acts as Patience's landlord, allowing her to stay in an unrenovated space in exchange for the lucrative paper cuttings she produces. He is primarily motivated by financial gain and focuses heavily on securing his inheritance from his mother.

Joy is the manager of the Windsor Care Home. She runs the facility with a strict hand, holding significant power over both the vulnerable elderly residents and her staff. During a meeting with Clio, she hints at dark, alternative ways the home handles residents whose family funds run dry.

Charlotte is a Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) assigned to investigate a murder at the care facility. Diligent and highly observant, she questions the various women connected to the home, attempting to untangle their alibis and motives.

Liberty is a young woman serving time in a women's prison for hacking. She leverages her technical skills to help others trace phone records and gather information.

Mr. Henderson is a resident at the Windsor Care Home. He is notorious among the staff for his verbally and physically abusive behavior, though he secretly keeps tender love letters addressed to his late wife hidden in his room.

Eleanor is Clio's infant daughter who was abducted two decades before the main events of the story. Her sudden disappearance shattered her parents' marriage and left a permanent mark on her mother's life.

Dickens is a dog that Patience secretly smuggles into the Windsor Care Home. He provides much-needed comfort and companionship to Edith in her restrictive environment.