She is an exuberant, sexually aware young woman who marries a man capable of meeting her intense desires. She wears a green ribbon around her neck and strictly forbids anyone from touching it. As she transitions into motherhood, she struggles to protect her bodily autonomy against her husband's persistent curiosity.

He is an outwardly charming man who indulges his wife's sexual fantasies while slowly pushing against her boundaries. He agrees not to touch the green ribbon around her neck but develops a growing obsession with it over time. His behavior poses a continuous threat to his wife's sense of security.

She is a survivor chronicling her sexual encounters before and during the outbreak of a deadly virus. To cope with the widening global crisis, she relies heavily on list-making as a psychological survival strategy. She continuously moves to remote locations to escape the spread of the disease, balancing her desire for connection with the need for self-preservation.

She is a woman attempting to untangle the reality of her dysfunctional romance from the domestic fantasy she once built in her mind. She lives in a house in the Indiana woods and works at a school. She is left to care for a baby girl after her volatile partner abandons the child at her doorstep.

Bad is the charismatic, impish partner of the protagonist. She wears sharp suits and possesses an unabashed, confident demeanor that initially draws the protagonist to her. Behind closed doors, she is verbally and physically abusive.

She is a detective attempting to solve crimes involving violence against women. She experiences extreme psychological distress from her work and is actively haunted by the ghosts of murdered teenage girls. She faces frequent sexism from her colleagues but remains fiercely dedicated to seeking justice.

He is Benson's work partner, assisting her in solving violent crimes. He is preoccupied with uncovering the details of his wife's rape, disregarding her explicit requests to leave the matter alone. He exhibits subtle sexism toward Benson, often treating her distress over violent crimes with irritation.

Henson is a detective who bears a striking resemblance to Benson. She is a notorious bachelorette who teams up with Abler to antagonize the main detectives. She engages in a romantic relationship with the district attorney while actively working to terrorize Benson and Stabler.

He is a detective with a wife and family who serves as a dark doppelgänger to Stabler. He sleeps with his work partner, Henson, and actively works to disrupt Benson and Stabler's investigations. His motives for attacking the main detectives remain unclear.

She works as a shop girl selling delicate dresses to wealthy clients. She observes a strange phenomenon where the garments in the store appear to move on their own. While pursuing a romance with a coworker, she discovers that missing women are being sewn into the clothing.

She is a tomboy who provides dresses to the boutique where the protagonist works. Her mother sews the delicate garments, and Petra introduces the protagonist to the unsettling truth behind their creation. She eventually falls victim to a mysterious condition causing women to lose their physical mass.

She is a woman who chooses to undergo an invasive gastric bypass surgery. Encouraged by her sisters and haunted by her mother's restrictive dietary advice, she yields to familial pressure regarding her weight. Following the surgery, she must confront a strange physical manifestation of her discarded body living inside her house.

She is a headstrong writer attending a prestigious artist residency located at the site of her former Girl Scout camp. She returns to the same lake where she experienced her queer awakening and a childhood humiliation. She frequently clashes with her fellow residents over their snobbery and the hypocritical expectations placed on female writers.

She is a woman recovering from an unnamed trauma, recently discharged from the hospital. She experiences severe social anxiety, depression, and disturbed sleep. In an attempt to regain a sense of normalcy, she attends a housewarming party and watches pornography. This activity triggers a strange new auditory ability to hear the thoughts of the performers.

He is the boyfriend of the protagonist, consistently checking on her as she recovers from trauma. He tries to soothe her thrashing during the night and suggests activities to help her reconnect with the world. He stays in the relationship primarily out of a sense of loyalty despite his growing frustration.

He is the sweet and gentle child of the protagonist and her husband. During his early years, he shares a strong bond with his mother. He eventually observes his father's attempts to touch her green ribbon and begins to mimic this behavior, changing his relationship with his mother.

She is a woman who wears a ribbon on a different part of her body. She goes out for coffee with the protagonist, creating a brief connection before the protagonist withdraws.

She is one of the many partners the protagonist encounters during the epidemic. She complains about the spread of the disease, hypocritically wishing people would simply stay apart while actively sharing a bed with the protagonist.

He is a survivor of the virus who requests refuge in the protagonist's home. He takes advantage of her kindness and attempts to attack her. He represents the persistent threat of male violence even during a global crisis.

Mara is the baby girl dropped off at the protagonist's doorstep by Bad. She represents the domestic fantasy the protagonist wishes to fulfill. The protagonist cares for her in the neglected Indiana house, projecting an entire family life onto her presence.

She is married to Detective Stabler and is recovering from a sexual assault. She explicitly asks her husband to stop obsessing over her trauma, preferring not to talk about it. Her boundaries are consistently ignored by her husband in his quest for answers.

She is a legal official working alongside the police department. She secretly harbors an attraction to Detective Benson but temporarily sleeps with Benson's rival, Henson. She represents the complex romantic dynamics within the justice system.

They are the ghosts of murdered teenage models who were accidentally buried beneath the tombstones of their doppelgängers. They actively haunt Benson, draping themselves over her furniture and eventually inhabiting her body as they wait for justice.

She is a seamstress responsible for constructing the delicate dresses sold at the Glam boutique. She sews the garments in a hidden operation where the fading women are incorporated directly into the fabric.

She is the estranged, queer daughter of the protagonist. She openly opposes her mother's decision to get gastric bypass surgery, warning her of the physical dangers. Her estrangement emphasizes the interpersonal cost of the protagonist's bodily insecurities.

She is the matriarch of the family who instilled restrictive eating habits in her children. She famously advised her daughters to only eat eight bites of any meal. Her teachings leave a lasting, intergenerational mark on her children's self-esteem.

They are the three siblings of the protagonist. Having successfully undergone the same weight loss surgery, they heavily encourage the protagonist to follow suit. They act as a collective voice for the social rewards associated with extreme weight loss.

She is a fellow artist at the Devil’s Throat residency. She asks CM to pose for a photograph, initially creating a sense of camaraderie. She secretly manipulates the situation by taking pictures of all the residents in poses that suggest they are dead.

She is an artist at the Devil’s Throat residency who publicly critiques CM's work. She accuses CM of relying on stereotypes of female hysteria and advises her against writing autobiographical material. She embodies the gendered hypocrisies present in the creative field.

He is an unnerving attendee at a housewarming party who films the gathering with an old camcorder. The protagonist steals his camera to record her own nighttime behavior.