Mary is a 24-year-old Puritan woman living in colonial Boston. Married to an abusive man almost twice her age, she struggles to find a way to escape her circumstances in a society that demands absolute female submission. She possesses a quiet independence, beautiful blue eyes, and corn-yellow hair. As she pursues the highly unusual step of petitioning for divorce, she faces intense scrutiny from a community eager to interpret her independence as a sign of spiritual corruption.

Thomas is a 45-year-old, well-respected miller in Boston. Outwardly, he maintains a pristine reputation as a devout and docile citizen who participates actively in colonial commerce. Behind closed doors, he is violently abusive toward his young wife, utilizing his community standing to hide his cruelty. He firmly believes in his right to dominate the women in his household.

Henry is a handsome, free-spirited sailor who spends time at the Boston docks. Unlike many men in the colony, he disregards strict Puritan social hierarchies and willingly associates with marginalized people. His growing connection with Mary challenges the community's rigid expectations of how a married woman should behave.

Catherine is the 18-year-old servant girl working for the Deerfield household. She strongly adheres to Puritan societal norms and harbors a secret admiration for Thomas. Her worldview is heavily shaped by local superstitions, making her quick to view any unusual events as evidence of dark magic.

Peregrine is Thomas's biological daughter and Mary's stepdaughter. Although she is the same age as Mary, she is already a married mother of two. She maintains a guarded demeanor while navigating her own difficult domestic life with a financially irresponsible husband.

Constance is an older, independent woman living in an area outside the main settlement known as "the Neck." As an unmarried herbalist who previously befriended an accused witch, she operates permanently on the fringes of acceptable society. She offers Mary both practical remedies and critical emotional support.

Caleb is the youngest of the magistrates in Boston. He embodies the rigid, patriarchal ideologies of his Puritan community with absolute certainty. He consistently questions women's motives and views any deviation from absolute wifely submission as highly suspicious.

James is Mary's father and a highly respected merchant in Boston. He genuinely cares for his daughter's physical safety and supports her unprecedented legal effort to secure a separation from Thomas.

Priscilla is Mary's mother. While she loves her daughter and wants her safe, she worries deeply about the social ramifications of seeking a divorce in a community that condemns rebellious women.

Jonathan is Peregrine's husband. He frequently mismanages his finances through gambling and firmly believes in traditional household structures, openly criticizing any attempts to upset the "natural order" between men and women.

William is Catherine's brother. He falls gravely ill while working for the Howland family, an event that fuels neighborhood paranoia and eventually leads to accusations of dark magic against Mary.

Beth is a devout Puritan neighbor. She is highly critical of those who fail to meet her strict moral standards and quickly judges Mary's interactions with other men, viewing her as an insufficient wife to Thomas.

Peter is a Boston resident who employs William. He shares his wife Beth's strict religious convictions and operates as an ordinary, law-abiding citizen of the colony.

Richard is a magistrate who initially offers legal counsel to Mary. While he recognizes her domestic struggle and cites legal precedents for her petition, he ultimately remains bound by the rigid laws of the colony.

Benjamin is the scrivener hired by the Burden family to prepare Mary's legal case. He interviews witnesses and builds the formal defense for her unprecedented petition.

The reverend is a prominent spiritual leader in the Boston community. He firmly believes in the necessity of a wife's joyful submission to her husband, interpreting domestic violence as a failure of household management rather than a crime.

Abigail is a servant girl working for the Burden family. She inadvertently witnesses a private, scandalous moment between Mary and Henry, placing her in a difficult position regarding her testimony.

Valentine is a friend of Mary's parents and Henry's uncle. He operates within the tight-knit social circles of colonial Boston and eventually testifies regarding Mary's interactions with his nephew.

Eleanor is Valentine's wife and Henry's aunt. She frequently socializes with the Burden family and observes the community's domestic developments.

Isaac is an elderly neighbor of the Deerfields. He enforces community standards by reprimanding Mary when she steps out of her expected social role, firmly believing women should defer to male authority in public.

Rebeckah is a close friend to Peregrine. She assists in preparing food for the family and remains fiercely loyal to the Cooke household, eventually stepping up to aid those she cares about.

Anne is Thomas Deerfield's first wife and Peregrine's mother. Her tragic death, allegedly from a horse kick, casts a long shadow over the Deerfield household and raises quiet questions about Thomas's history.

Esther is a woman excommunicated from the Puritan church for speaking out against a previous witch hanging. She lives on the outskirts of society and clearly understands the hypocrisy of Boston's elite, providing Mary with dangerous botanical supplies.

Edmund is Esther's husband. Together, they endure a difficult life isolated from the rest of the Boston community after their excommunication from the church.

John is a local missionary who travels outside the main colony to convert the Indigenous population. He unknowingly provides Mary with an escort and religious cover when she travels into the woods.

Dr. Pickering is the attending physician in the Boston settlement. He examines injuries and illnesses but struggles to provide definitive medical answers when pressured by magistrates looking for evidence of dark magic.

Philip serves as the lawyer representing Thomas Deerfield. He skillfully redirects courtroom attention away from Thomas's violence and onto Mary's alleged sins, exploiting the community's fears to defend his client.

Goody Downing is a local midwife tasked by the court with examining women accused of witchcraft. She searches for any physical marks that the community believes indicate a connection to the Devil.

Sam is a drinking companion of Thomas Deerfield. He proves completely willing to participate in sudden violence when directed by the men he associates with.