Lionel is a 40-year-old Blackfoot man living in Blossom, Alberta. He works an unfulfilling job as a television salesman at Bill Bursum's Home Entertainment Barn. He feels directionless and emotionally paralyzed, struggling to reconcile his Indigenous identity with the Western culture he internalized growing up. He repeatedly promises himself he will return to school but continuously delays the decision.

Alberta is an intelligent and independent college history professor. She deeply desires to have a child but explicitly does not want a husband, finding herself frustrated by the societal expectations and medical bureaucracy surrounding single motherhood. She maintains a careful distance from the men in her life to avoid unwanted pressures toward marriage.

Eli is a retired professor of literature who spent decades living in Toronto, distancing himself from his Blackfoot roots. He returns to the reserve following his mother's death and finds renewed purpose in stalling a destructive hydroelectric dam project by filing injunctions. He quietly deals with the tension between his academic past and his cultural heritage.

Charlie is Lionel's cousin and a lawyer who works for Duplessis, the firm representing the company building the dam. He embraces capitalist values and appreciates the material wealth his job provides, despite the political conflict it causes with his family and community. He actively competes for Alberta's affection.

A group of four ancient Indigenous figures—going by the names Lone Ranger, Hawkeye, Robinson Crusoe, and Ishmael—who repeatedly leave Dr. Joe Hovaugh's Florida psychiatric ward. They frequently recount interconnected creation stories involving mythical figures. Their ongoing mission is to travel across the continent to restore balance and fix parts of the world that have been broken by colonial narratives.

Coyote is the traditional Indigenous trickster god who accompanies the narrator and observes the actions of the human characters. Energetic, curious, and prone to dancing and singing, his enthusiastic interventions in the world often trigger unintended and chaotic consequences. He frequently questions the structure of the stories being told.

Dr. Hovaugh is the director of the psychiatric institution where the four elders are held. He sits behind a large colonial desk and obsesses over finding patterns in the elders' departures, firmly believing they correspond directly to major natural disasters. He possesses a rigid mindset that demands order and predictable outcomes.

Babo is a perceptive and uncooperative janitor at the Florida psychiatric institution. She pays little mind to the authority of the police or her boss, Dr. Hovaugh. She is one of the only people who recognizes the escapees as women rather than men, displaying a sharp understanding of the world that the institutional authorities lack.

Bursum is the white owner of a television and electronics shop in Blossom who employs Lionel. He is fiercely capitalist, obsessed with control, and eagerly anticipates the completion of the dam so he can profit from lakefront property. He deeply reveres classic Western films and the racial hierarchies they depict.

Sifton is the lead engineer in charge of building the Grand Baleen dam. He regularly attempts to persuade Eli to abandon the cabin, viewing the treaties as outdated inconveniences and the natural environment as a resource to be exploited for profit.

Norma is Lionel's traditional and outspoken aunt who maintains strong ties to the Blackfoot community. She frequently pressures Lionel to reconnect with his family and cultural roots, demonstrating a practical and grounded approach to life on the reserve.

Latisha is Lionel's sister and the resourceful owner of a successful restaurant on the reserve. She cleverly capitalizes on the ignorance of white tourists by pretending to serve dog meat. She works hard to provide for her children while dealing with the lingering emotional toll of an abusive marriage.

George is Latisha's American ex-husband who exhibits capricious behavior and a sense of entitlement. He frequently makes degrading generalizations about others and shows a profound lack of respect for Indigenous boundaries and traditions.

Portland is Charlie's father and a former Hollywood actor who initially found success playing stereotypical Indigenous chiefs. His career faltered when he refused to conform to directors' demands to wear a prosthetic nose, leading to his return to the reserve.

Karen is Eli's former partner who bonded with him over literature. Though supportive and progressive, she often exoticizes Eli's Indigenous heritage, pushing him to read specific books and viewing his culture through an idealized, patronizing lens.

First Woman is a mythical figure in one of the creation narratives who helps create land and a garden. She ultimately leaves the garden because she finds the creator figure to be a stingy and irritable neighbor.

God is a cranky, territorial figure who emerges from Coyote's dream. He treats the newly created world as his private property and constantly argues with the narrator about how the story should unfold.

Ahdamn is First Woman's companion in the garden who eventually accompanies her to Fort Marion, where he passes the time drawing pictures.

Changing Woman is a mythical figure who encounters aggressive, patriarchal figures like Noah and Ahab in her journey across the Water World. She continually resists their attempts to control her.

Thought Woman is a mythical creator figure who encounters A. A. Gabriel and Robinson Crusoe. She quickly tires of their bureaucratic and obsessive behaviors, choosing instead to continue her journey.

Old Woman is a mythical figure who encounters a young man walking on water and helps calm a stormy sea, though her contributions are quickly dismissed by the men around her because of her gender.

He is a rigid, rule-obsessed figure who desires to perform miracles so that men will love him and become his apostles, though he fails to calm the waves without Old Woman's help.

Bob is Alberta's ex-husband. Their marriage deteriorated when he expected her to abandon her own academic ambitions to support his schooling, demonstrating traditional, restrictive expectations regarding gender roles.

Harley is Lionel's father, who attends the Sun Dance and maintains a connection with the returning community members despite the looming threat of the dam.

Amos is Alberta's father, who faces heavy discrimination and stereotyping from border officials when trying to transport traditional dancing outfits across the border.

Christian is Latisha and George's eldest son, who takes on significant household responsibilities while his mother manages her busy restaurant.