Born with pituitary gigantism to an excommunicated Amish woman, Gabriel grows at an astonishing rate, reaching five feet six inches by age five. Raised initially by his teenage brother on a dilapidated farm, he develops a preternatural connection with animals, frequently soothing frightened livestock and wild birds. As he enters the "English" world, his immense size and strength make him a local spectacle, pulling him into organized sports where adults quickly commodify his physical power. Despite his intimidating frame, he maintains a quiet, innocent disposition and prefers the peace of the natural world.

A devout Amish woman living in Lakota, Wisconsin, Hannah struggles to balance the rigid rules of her faith with her deep maternal devotion. Following the church's decree to strictly shun her daughter Rachel, Hannah quietly rebels by conducting secret, freezing nighttime vigils across the Mecan River to sing lullabies. She processes her grief and intellectual curiosity in private by reading a hidden book of Emily Dickinson poetry left by her late mother.

A 47-year-old large-animal veterinarian who relocated to the rural crossroads of Lakota to escape the public scrutiny surrounding his wife's death. Seeking a quiet, isolated retirement, he is pulled back into human connection when he delivers Gabriel Fisher with a lambing snare. He assumes a steady, paternal role in Gabriel's life, taking the rapidly growing boy on weekend veterinary calls and acting as an anchor between the secular world and the Amish community.

Hannah's father and a powerful sawmill operator within the Amish district. Outwardly pious, he secretly delivers firewood to needy families at night. However, inside his home, he is a tyrannical disciplinarian who violently suppresses any signs of vanity or joy, going so far as to ban printed images, art, and even simple spices from his family's daily life.

Hannah's husband and a rigid, devout pillar of the local Amish community. An infertile farmer and skilled carpenter, he prioritizes the church's collective moral order over personal family bonds, strictly enforcing the severe shunning of his own daughter. Despite his unwavering adherence to the rules, he exhibits quiet concessions in private, selectively ignoring his wife's minor rebellions.

Hannah and Josiah's daughter, whose fierce independence irrevocably changes her family. By refusing to name the father of her first child, she accepts severe shunning from her community rather than conform to their demands. Exiled across the river, she raises her son Jasper in strict isolation and poverty, relying solely on the charity of a local eccentric widow before dying during her second pregnancy.

Rachel's firstborn son and Gabriel's older half-brother. Raised outside the Amish faith in poverty and isolation, he harbors deep resentment toward the family members who banished his mother. When Rachel dies, the seventeen-year-old assumes the grueling responsibility of raising his rapidly growing infant brother entirely on his own, dropping out of normal adolescent life to work the farm.

The owner of the Shaken, Not Stirred tavern in Lakota. A man in his seventies recovering from alcohol addiction, Billy views local sports as a way to make up for his past failures as a father. When he witnesses Gabriel's incredible strength, he immediately promotes the boy in local baseball leagues, representing the secular world's instinct to consume extraordinary talent as entertainment.

A disgraced former college football coach from Texas who lost his career, family, and home to severe addiction. Seeking a quiet second chance in Lakota, he takes a job coaching the local high school team. When he spots Gabriel tossing heavy hay bales with one arm, he recruits the boy immediately, utilizing Gabriel's massive size to secure athletic victories.

An elderly, eccentric atheist who lives across the river from the Fisher farm. She smokes a pipe and regularly challenges local officials at county board meetings. When Rachel is thrown out by her family, Charlotte provides the young woman with a safe haven and eventually leaves her property to her.

An elementary education major from California's Central Valley attending the University of Wisconsin. She connects with Gabriel outside of the media frenzy that surrounds him, walking with him by the lake and treating him as a normal young man rather than an athletic spectacle.

Thomas's elderly mother, residing in a memory care facility. A former English professor who authored a monograph on Emily Dickinson, her academic past provides a surprising connection for Hannah Fisher. She retains memories of her childhood in Dresden and converses fluently in German.

Thomas's late wife. The tragedy of her death, which was legally ruled a suicide, subjected Thomas to intense police investigation and public suspicion, ultimately driving him to abandon his life in Milwaukee for the anonymity of rural Lakota.

Hannah's older sister. As a young woman, she displayed a rare moment of vanity by combing her hair during Bible reading, prompting their father Absalom to drag her to the barn and violently shear off her hair with sheep clippers.

A regular patron at Billy's tavern and a dependable local resident. He assists Billy with logistics for the community sports teams and frequently acts as a sounding board for town gossip and speculation.

A local French teacher who assists the high school football program by translating plays. Her practical assistance and grounded nature provide Coach Trey Beathard with stability as he rebuilds his life in Lakota.

Trey Beathard's aunt, who fled Texas decades earlier after facing discrimination for kissing her partner in public. She operates a quiet horse farm in Wisconsin, providing Trey with a safe haven when his career and personal life collapse.

Birdy's partner, who helps run their Wisconsin horse farm. She takes an active interest in Trey's recovery, finding the job advertisement that ultimately leads him back into coaching.