Joe is a young American soldier who sustains catastrophic injuries during World War I, leaving him deaf, blind, mute, and limbless in a hospital bed. Before the war, he comes from a humble, blue-collar background in Colorado, working manual jobs at an industrial bakery and doing desert railway maintenance to support himself. Isolated within his own mind, he attempts to re-establish a sense of routine and relies on his memories of family and past loves to preserve his sanity.

Joe's father is a hardworking, honest man who raises his family in Shale City, Colorado. Though his community views him as a financial failure due to his lack of wealth, he is an expert gardener who provides rich, homegrown food from his two small plots of land. He prioritizes human connection and familial love over material possessions.

The nurses make up the medical staff assigned to care for the severely wounded Joe. Ranging from business-like and experienced to young and sensitive, they handle Joe's basic bodily needs. They represent his sole link to the physical reality of his environment, provoking both intense gratitude and occasional frustration from him due to his total helplessness.

Joe's mother is a central figure in his recollections of his childhood in Shale City, Colorado. She represents the warmth and security of his pre-war life, often remembered for making delicious fresh bread rolls and reading holiday stories from the Bible to her children.

Kareen is Joe's sweetheart living in Los Angeles before his military deployment. She shares his final civilian moments before he boards the train with other soldiers, weeping and begging him not to go. Her memory serves as a constant reminder to Joe of the love and human connection he left behind.

Kareen's father lives in Los Angeles. He permits Joe and Kareen to share a bed on Joe's final night before leaving for France, recognizing the solemnity of the young soldier's departure and allowing the young couple a private farewell.

Bill is Joe's best friend during his youth in Colorado. He frequently accompanies Joe on camping and fishing trips. Their close friendship hits a severe stumbling block over a painful situation involving Joe's girlfriend, Diane.

Howie is a friend of Joe's from Shale City. He joins Joe for grueling summer maintenance work on a railway to escape the emotional fallout of their girlfriends' infidelity back home, braving intense heat and backbreaking labor.

Diane is Joe's former girlfriend in Shale City. Her unfaithfulness prompts Joe to leave town for a difficult summer job, and her subsequent romantic choices deeply disrupt Joe's social circle.

Onie is Howie's girlfriend in Shale City. Like Diane, she strays from her relationship to pursue another boy, but she later sends a message apologizing to Howie when things do not work out.

Glen is a local teenager in Shale City who causes significant drama by getting involved with both Diane and Onie. His actions prompt Joe and Howie to temporarily leave town for a railroad job.

Jose is a handsome Puerto Rican worker who joins the industrial bakery where Joe works. He entertains the crew with stories of a wealthy New York woman and dreams of working in the movie industry, eventually trying to respectfully engineer his own firing to pursue a studio job without insulting his boss.

Mr. Simmons is the boss at the industrial bakery where Joe and Jose work before the war. He commands enough respect from his employees that they organize elaborate ruses to avoid offending him when they wish to leave their jobs.

Lincoln Beechy is one of America's early pilots. He visits Joe's hometown to demonstrate his airplane, performing an aerial loop that inspires awe in the local community and sparks conversations about the future of technology.

Mr. Hargraves is the school superintendent in Shale City. Following Lincoln Beechy's flight demonstration, he delivers an optimistic speech praising the airplane as a tool for peace, prosperity, and mutual understanding.

Laurette is a sex worker living in Shale City. During his teenage years, Joe falls in love with her, and she forms a part of his comforting memories while he lies severely injured in the hospital.

Lucky is an American woman Joe meets while taking a break from the trenches in Paris. She spends time crocheting on her bed while talking to him, offering a brief, peaceful respite from the horrors of the war.

Joe has two younger sisters, aged thirteen and seven. They appear in his recollections of his childhood in Shale City, forming a quiet part of the domestic warmth he desperately misses while trapped in the hospital.