Mark is a 27-year-old Anglican vicar assigned to his first parish in the remote First Nations village of Kingcome. Unbeknownst to him, he suffers from a terminal illness, prompting his Bishop to place him in this challenging but profound environment to prepare him for the end of his life. Dedicated and respectful, Mark strives to learn the Kwákwala language, understand tribal customs, and earn the trust of the Kwakiutl people while patrolling neighboring villages by boat.

The Bishop is a senior Anglican church official who oversees Mark's career. Aware of Mark's terminal illness, he deliberately conceals the diagnosis to prevent the young vicar from overexerting himself in his final years. He selects Kingcome as Mark's parish because he believes the difficult, deeply communal setting is the best place to prepare a young man for death.

Jim is a Kwakiutl man around the same age as Mark who serves as the vicar's guide and boat pilot. A staunch traditionalist, Jim has returned to Kingcome after a year working in a mill town, confident that his identity belongs with the village. He is deeply connected to the myths and customs of his people, viewing his participation in the traditional hamatsa dance as a supreme life achievement.

Keetah is a thoughtful young Kwakiutl woman who takes an interest in recording the myths and stories of her people. As she comes of age, she finds herself torn between the traditional ways of Kingcome and the allure of the modern outside world. Her internal conflict is mirrored by the diverging paths of the two young men in her life.

Caleb is a retired Anglican canon who previously held Mark's position ministering to the coastal villages. Down-to-earth and highly practical, Caleb provides Mark with invaluable advice on handling both the physical challenges and the social customs of the Kwakiutl people. He serves as a sustaining, foundational presence for the community, likened to the protective Cedar-man of local myth.

Known as the "grandmother of the tribe," Marta is an elderly, white-haired woman with a finely wrinkled face. As the daughter, wife, and mother of chiefs, she holds significant respect within the village. She is exceedingly kind and perceptive, quickly extending hospitality to Mark by knitting him a hat and providing him with warm meals.

Mrs. Hudson is the formidable matriarch of Kingcome, primarily occupied with organizing community feasts and maintaining her social status. While she enjoys the prestige that the Bishop and Mark bring to the village, she harbors a deep-seated suspicion of outsiders. She often expresses her quiet antagonism by intentionally serving white men foods they dislike.

Keetah's older sister is a young Kwakiutl woman who represents the dangers of total assimilation and the predatory nature of the outside world. She adopts the dress and habits of outsiders and is wooed by a white man, creating a deep rift of shame and worry within her traditional family.

Gordon is a bright, restless young man attending a government school outside the village. Unlike Jim, Gordon is disinterested in preserving the village's traditions and is characterized as "fast moving water." He dreams of integrating into white society, attending university, and pursuing a professional career far from Kingcome.

T.P. is a prominent village elder and a prolific orator. He is one of the first leaders in Kingcome to recognize Mark's genuine respect for Kwakiutl traditions. He serves as a bridge between the old ways and the current generation, deeply involved in ceremonial feasts and passing down family rites.

Peter is an elderly village carver who is spiritually attuned to the tribe's history and its deceased ancestors. He possesses a melancholy understanding of the village's slow decline and is a keeper of the old myths, including the terrifying legend of the hamatsa cannibal spirit.

Calamity Bill is a rugged, 65-year-old white logger who lives an isolated life in a floating house on the coastal waters. He is an eccentric but friendly fixture in the region, famous among the locals for wearing two pairs of long underwear and never changing the inner one.

Sam is the poorest man in Kingcome, an alcoholic who struggles with the devastating impacts of addiction. Descended from slaves, he represents the severe social issues plaguing the community, frequently drinking away his fishing money and creating a dangerous home environment for his family.

Chief Eddy is a village leader who watches the new vicar closely upon his arrival. He appreciates Mark's dignified behavior and takes it upon himself to instruct the young priest on the proper pronunciation of the tribe's true name, Tsawataineuk, signaling an early gesture of acceptance.

Ellie is Sam's thirteen-year-old daughter. Living in deep poverty with an abusive, alcoholic father, she engages in dangerous behavior with older men simply to stay away from her volatile home environment.

The schoolteacher is a white man who has lived in Kingcome for two years but harbors a strong dislike for the native population. A vocal atheist, he criticizes Christianity as naive and actively isolates himself from the emotional and spiritual life of the village.