Craig is an industrious young boy growing up in the small town of Harlow, Maine, with his single father. After losing his mother at an early age, he volunteers to read at his local church, demonstrating a proactive nature that earns him a job reading for a wealthy neighbor. As he matures into a young adult during the dawn of the smartphone era, his fascination with new technology deeply impacts his worldview. He struggles with the moral ambiguities of growing up, harboring private frustrations about school bullies and reckless individuals while dealing with complex feelings of grief and a desire for justice.

Mr. Harrigan is an elderly, retired billionaire who built his fortune on conglomerate business and the stock market. He moves to Harlow, Maine, to escape the cutthroat environment of New York City but retains a ruthless, vindictive streak. Initially hostile to modern technology, he quickly recognizes the business potential of the early iPhone and adapts to the changing times with the help of his young employee.

Chuck is an ordinary accountant at Midwest Trust whose life story is presented in reverse chronological order, beginning with the apocalyptic end of his world. Orphaned at seven years old following a tragic car accident, he is raised by his grandparents and develops a secret passion for dance that he largely keeps separate from his professional life. He maintains a pleasant, unassuming public persona while privately harboring a vast, rich inner reality. An early childhood encounter with a haunted space grants him awareness of his own mortality, ultimately inspiring his resolution to pursue a wonderful, joyful life despite its inevitable end.

Holly is a private investigator who runs the Finders Keepers agency. She struggles with acute anxiety and profound grief following the death of her professional partner, Bill Hodges. Despite her social awkwardness, she is highly observant and successfully utilizes her obsessive tendencies to solve complex, unorthodox cases. She carries significant emotional baggage from her upbringing, frequently clashing with her manipulative mother while relying heavily on a chosen family of colleagues and friends. Her past encounters with supernatural entities leave her uniquely prepared to recognize anomalies that others dismiss, driving her to investigate a suspicious local news reporter.

Jerome is a college student taking a gap year from Harvard to write a book about his great-great-grandfather. He works as a junior partner at Finders Keepers, using his intelligence and philosophy background to assist with investigations. He forms a vital part of a supportive chosen family for his colleagues, offering both practical help and emotional grounding.

Chet is a local news correspondent whose presence at the sites of terrible disasters stretches back decades. He utilizes various aliases and disguises throughout his career, maintaining a public persona while harboring a dark, unnatural connection to human suffering and tragedy. He exploits the modern obsession with the news cycle to hide in plain sight.

Drew is a mid-career fiction writer who has achieved moderate success with short stories but is deeply frustrated by his repeated failures to complete a full-length novel. Driven by sudden inspiration and intense creative pressure to write a western story, he travels to an isolated family forest cabin to work. He is highly impulsive, possessing a self-destructive habit of abandoning projects when he feels creatively blocked. He struggles to balance his all-consuming artistic ambitions with his practical responsibilities as a husband, eventually prioritizing his obsessive need to finish a book over his own physical health and safety.

A caring parent who raises his son alone following his wife's death. He expresses skepticism regarding his son's billionaire employer, questioning the compensation and appropriateness of their arrangement. He tries to protect his child from neighborhood bullying and serves as a grounded, rational voice against youthful superstitions.

Ginny shares a stable, ordinary life with her husband, though she remains unaware of certain defining moments from his youth until his final days. She provides a loving, supportive presence in the hospital as her husband's health fails.

Brian is a grieving son who struggles to make sense of his father's premature illness. He reminisces over his father's accounting career and childhood hobbies while challenging his uncle's philosophical attempts to comfort him.

Charlotte is a mother struggling with her newfound solitude and the declining health of her brother. She frequently employs emotional manipulation and guilt to maintain control over her independent daughter. Her cold demeanor masks a deep-seated fear of losing control over her surroundings.

Lucy is a pragmatic woman who worries deeply about the psychological toll her husband's writing attempts take on him. She attempts to manage his self-destructive tendencies by urging him to prioritize his safety, health, and family over his artistic ambitions, especially as a severe storm approaches his isolated cabin.

Al is a former teacher who recently stepped down following a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. He acts as a grounding literary mentor to his former student, advising him to find satisfaction in his existing achievements rather than chasing the elusive goal of a novel.

A rat that seeks shelter on a cabin doorstep during a severe weather event. It seemingly converses using the cadence of a famous novelist's craft lecture, presenting a desperate writer with a disturbing proposition regarding the completion of his manuscript.

Dan is an elderly former police officer and illustrator living in Maine. Having tracked a mysterious news reporter's appearances at historical tragedies for over a decade, he shares his extensive research and sketches with a private investigator to help stop the entity.

Barbara is a student who conducts class interviews and cares deeply for her brother's investigative partner. Her protective instincts occasionally lead her to cross personal boundaries, tracking movements out of fear for her friend's safety.

Pete is a private investigator at the Finders Keepers agency. He operates as a stabilizing, pragmatic presence in the office, supporting his agency partner through complex cases while maintaining a healthy distance from her more obsessive theories.

Henry is an elderly man whose Alzheimer's disease necessitates a move to an elder care facility. He frequently mistakes his living niece for her deceased cousin, inadvertently surfacing painful family tensions during visits.

Sarah is a grandmother who adopts her orphaned grandson following a tragic car accident. She instills a deep love for music and dancing in him, utilizing classic musical films to bond with him before her sudden death.

Albie is a grandfather burdened by grief and a supernatural secret regarding his home. He struggles to manage his knowledge of the haunted cupola, warning his grandson to stay away from the space out of fear of its visions.

Doug is a philosophy professor who attempts to provide intellectual comfort in the face of tragedy. He theorizes that individuals contain entire, complex worlds within them that cease to exist when they die.

Ms. Hargensen is a middle school earth sciences teacher. She protects her students from harassment and attempts to ease youthful anxieties by offering rational, grounded advice about coincidence and the limits of personal responsibility.

Marty is a high school teacher experiencing the gradual, apocalyptic collapse of his world. As the environment degrades and technology fails, he seeks comfort in the company of his ex-wife.

Roy is a local store owner who operates the only shop near an isolated forest cabin. He provides essential supplies and local history to visitors, though his sudden poor health introduces unforeseen complications during a severe storm.