Mia is a seventeen-year-old high school senior and a dedicated cello prodigy. Unlike her punk-rocker parents, she prefers classical music and dreams of attending Juilliard. Following a catastrophic car crash on a snowy morning, she is left comatose. Her consciousness detaches from her physical body, allowing her to wander the hospital corridors and observe her loved ones as she weighs whether to fight for survival.

Adam is a college freshman and the lead singer and guitarist for the rising regional rock band Shooting Star. He loves dramatic, grand gestures and cares deeply for Mia, despite their contrasting tastes in music and their potentially diverging futures. Arriving at the hospital, he desperately attempts to bypass the strict visitation rules to see her in the intensive care unit.

Kim is Mia's pragmatic, dark-haired best friend who shares her dry, sarcastic sense of humor. Raised in a devout Jewish family, she provides a voice of reason and stability. She fiercely supports Mia's classical music aspirations and sets aside her typical restraint to help Adam circumvent the hospital staff.

A former "rocker chick" who grew up in a fractured household before building a close-knit, unconventional family. She is tough, highly idealistic, and encourages her daughter's classical music ambitions despite her own preference for punk icons like Debbie Harry.

A former punk-rock lyricist who traded his band career to become an English teacher and a supportive father. He is an empathetic man who views his transition from musician to family man as a joyful choice, frequently offering his daughter gentle wisdom about life.

Mia's imaginative and cheerful seven-year-old brother. He shares a deeply affectionate bond with his sister, who cut his umbilical cord at birth and frequently acts as a second maternal figure to him.

Mia's paternal grandmother, originally from Massachusetts. She is a warm, talkative presence who first encouraged Mia to apply to Juilliard and offers gentle, continuous comfort by her hospital bedside.

Mia's paternal grandfather, who bears a strong physical resemblance to his son and grandson. He drove Mia to her music audition in San Francisco and demonstrates profound, selfless empathy as she lies in the intensive care unit.

Mia's father's best friend and former bandmate. He initially struggled to understand his friend's choice to leave their rock band for fatherhood but remains a close, constant fixture in the family's life.

A nurse and close friend of Mia's family. She uses her professional connections with hospital administrators to bypass the strict visitation rules and secure access for visitors.

A deeply empathetic intensive care nurse who tends to Mia's physical injuries with kindness. She buttons Mia's gown, adjusts her blankets, and treats her as though she is fully conscious and listening.

An officious hospital staff member who strictly enforces institutional policies. She blocks Adam from visiting the intensive care unit because he is not an immediate family member.

A local university music professor. He recognizes Mia's prodigious talent early in her life and agrees to instruct her on the cello.

A famous rock musician whose band is scheduled to perform with Shooting Star. Adam recruits her to create a loud, chaotic distraction at the hospital.

The driver of the four-ton truck involved in the collision with Mia's family car. He escapes the wreckage with minor physical injuries but faces the heavy emotional aftermath of the crash.