Hans is a 46-year-old man who died in a freak accident just as his marriage to a younger woman was beginning to blossom. In the cemetery's transitional space, he manifests as a naked man whose physical form reacts to exciting situations, reflecting his unconsummated desires. He acts as a kind, deeply empathetic guide to the newly arrived spirits while maintaining a steadfast denial about his own deceased state.

Roger is a young man who died by suicide after a devastating romantic rejection, though he prefers to think of himself as merely recovering. He manifests in the afterlife with multiple eyes and hands, constantly looking in all directions out of lingering paranoia about societal judgment. He is acutely aware of the beautiful sensory details of the physical world he left behind and serves as a well-meaning tutor to the cemetery's new arrivals.

Reverend Thomas is a decent preacher who, unlike his companions, is entirely aware of his deceased state. He remains in the cemetery out of profound fear of divine judgment, choosing a known purgatory over an uncertain final destination. He acts as a voice of relative reason among the ghosts while attempting to hide the terrifying truth of their situation from the newer spirits.

Willie is the beloved 11-year-old son of the President, newly arrived in the cemetery's strange transitional space. He is innocent and hopeful, waiting patiently for his parents to return for him while remaining entirely unaware of his permanent situation. His youth makes him both a beacon of hope for the older spirits and a vulnerable target for the darker elements of the burial grounds.

Abraham is the 16th President of the United States, struggling under the immense political and human cost of the ongoing Civil War. He is a man torn between his consuming public duties and his profound personal sorrow over losing a child. His unprecedented physical affection for his departed boy breaks the unwritten rules of the cemetery, sending shockwaves through the spiritual residents.

Thomas is an enslaved man whose relative physical comfort in life only sharpened his psychological torment over being denied basic self-determination. Relegated to the outskirts of the cemetery by racist spirits, he carries a deep yearning to demonstrate the true capabilities of Black people. He looks to the visiting President as a potential vehicle for broader historical change.

Mrs. Lincoln is the emotionally fragile First Lady of the United States. She is deeply devoted to her children but struggles constantly under the immense pressure of hosting duties and public scrutiny during wartime. The sudden illness and passing of her son completely shatters her psychological stability, leaving her unable to attend his funeral.

Elise is a young girl who died at the age of 14, just on the cusp of adulthood and marriage. Her refusal to abandon her desires for romance and a family has left her permanently immobilized within the graveyard's boundaries. She serves as a terrifying physical reminder to the newer spirits of what happens to youth who linger too long.

Mrs. Crawford is a female spirit in the cemetery with a gentle interest in the natural world. She attempts to show the local plants to passing spirits but is constantly subjected to crude harassment, demonstrating that the behavioral flaws of the living persist after death.

Sam is a crass spirit who spends his time in the afterlife trailing and sexually harassing a female ghost. His relentless, predatory behavior highlights the diverse and often unsavory nature of the cemetery's long-term residents.

Jane is a wealthy woman who endured a dull, egotistical husband and found true happiness only in her three daughters. She manifests in the cemetery accompanied by three floating orbs that represent the children she desperately wishes she could still protect and advise.

Cecil is a boastful, unapologetically racist soldier who claims to have been a glorified hero in his previous life. He aggressively polices the boundaries of the cemetery, attempting to maintain the violent segregation that existed in the world of the living through sheer intimidation.

Eddie is a spirit from the lowest socioeconomic rung of society whose body was unceremoniously dumped by the cemetery gates. Despite his vulgar vocabulary and marginalized status, he shares a deep, genuine bond of mutual affection with his wife.

Betsy is a lower-class spirit who died violently alongside her husband. She possesses a rough demeanor but maintains a fiercely devoted relationship with her spouse, standing firmly beside him as they navigate the snobbery of the wealthier ghosts.

Mrs. Delaney is a conflicted ghost torn helplessly between two men from her past. She wanders the cemetery crying out for "Mr. Delaney," caught permanently between an emotional longing for her departed husband and an overwhelming physical longing for his brother.

Stanley is the leader of the "Three Bachelors," a group of unloved men who spend their afterlife aggressively avoiding reality. Rather than facing their spiritual circumstances, he leads his group in playing silly, disruptive pranks across the cemetery grounds.

Manders is the mortal groundskeeper and watchman of the cemetery. He goes about his nightly duties carrying a lantern, occasionally calling out the news of the living world to the graves and displaying a gentle, quiet reverence for the dead he watches over.

Elson is a highly articulate Black spirit who secretly educated himself while enslaved by the East family. He died alone on the side of a road and remains anchored in the cemetery by a fierce, singular desire to seek vengeance against his former enslavers.

Litzie is a Black woman whose horrific experiences of continuous abuse on a plantation left her severely traumatized. Relegated to the outskirts of the cemetery, she relies entirely on another spirit to translate her tragic history so it can be recognized by the rest of the community.

Mrs. Hodge is a helpful spirit residing on the margins of the cemetery. She acts as a vital voice for those who cannot speak, specifically taking on the burden of translating her mute companion's traumatic memories for the wider graveyard.

Isabelle is a sick young woman who lives in a house directly overlooking the cemetery walls. Observing the President's solitary, late-night mourning from her bedroom window prompts her to reach out to her own family before her illness worsens.

Robert is the older living son of the President and First Lady. He stands beside his parents during the agonizing funeral process for his younger brother, sharing in the family's deep, quiet mourning at the white stone tomb.

Tad is another of the President's living children. Remaining at the White House, he represents the future that his father must continue to protect despite the devastating loss of a son.

Mrs. Blass is a spirit who scrounges the cemetery grounds for rocks and twigs, aggressively hoarding these worthless objects as prized possessions. She attempts to bribe the President's son with her gathered dirt, clinging to earthly materialism long after death.

William is a soldier killed in the early days of the Civil War. He spends his afterlife verbally composing letters to his living wife about the horrors of battle before slowly realizing he is permanently trapped in a grave.