Will is a 40-year-old photographer of Blackfoot and white descent who recently returned to his hometown of Medicine River after losing his job in Toronto. Operating Medicine River Photography, he struggles with his sense of belonging and feelings of inadequacy stemming from his father's early abandonment. He finds himself slowly drawn into the community through his friends and clients, attempting to find stability.

Harlen is Will's eternally optimistic best friend and the coach of the Friendship Centre Warriors basketball team. Acting as the town's unofficial busybody, he weaves the community together by involving himself in others' affairs and pushing people to connect. He conceals his own past difficulties beneath a cheerful exterior and a constant stream of conversation.

Louise is an independent and pragmatic local woman who works as an accountant in Medicine River. After becoming pregnant and being abandoned by her boyfriend, she manages motherhood on her own terms. She values her independence and prefers a non-traditional approach to relationships and living arrangements.

Rose is Will and James's late mother, a resilient Blackfoot woman who raised her two sons alone in Medicine River. After marrying a white Canadian, she lost her Native status and was banished from her reservation. She provided for her boys through careful shopping and maintained a quiet strength despite her husband's abandonment.

James is Will's estranged brother who travels the world, currently spending time in New Zealand. As a child, he possessed a quiet confidence and impressive artistic abilities that contrasted with Will's insecurities. He maintains only a distant correspondence with his sibling.

David is a local man who takes aggressive pride in having participated in the Wounded Knee occupation, continually wearing the jacket he received there. He judges others based on their political activism and treats those who refuse to protest as lesser people. His abrasive personality often puts him at odds with the community.

South Wing is Louise's infant daughter. Her birth brings Will and Louise closer, as Will acts as a surrogate father figure and deeply cherishes her presence in his life.

Eddie is a Medicine River resident with a non-Blackfoot parent who was raised off the reservation. To compensate for his background, he over-identifies with traditional culture by wearing obvious Indigenous garb like ribbon shirts and bone chokers.

Big John is the director of the Friendship Centre and Eddie's cousin. Possessing two Blackfoot parents, he questions Eddie's authenticity and regularly insults him, despite preferring Western attire like suits and ties himself.

Raymond is an eccentric Friendship Centre councilman and aggressive basketball player. Having lost money during an oil recession in Calgary, he brings suspicious financial schemes to Medicine River, including a calendar project that leaves Will unpaid.

Clyde is a highly skilled basketball player with a troubled history of arrests. Despite his exceptional talent on the court and his genuine desire to change his life, he continually falls back into patterns of poor choices and legal trouble.

January is a relative of Will's whose abusive husband recently died by suicide. She actively works to protect her late husband's reputation, going so far as to forge his suicide note to spare his image.

Joe is Harlen's bold and overbearing brother who occasionally drifts into town. He shares a competitive childhood rivalry with Harlen that pushes them both into risky physical challenges.

Lionel is a respected reservation elder who travels the world telling traditional Blackfoot tales. He acts as a connection to the community's ancestral history and values Will's modern expertise.

Bertha is a local Medicine River woman looking for love outside the community until Will suggests she consider local men. She briefly dates Harlen before moving on.

Susan is Will's ex-girlfriend from his time living in Toronto. She worked for an art journal and pursued a relationship with Will despite being secretly married, eventually leaving him.

Mrs. Oswald was a neighbor in Will's childhood apartment complex. Despite projecting wealth through expensive clothing, she suffered severe domestic abuse at the hands of her husband.

Lena is Mrs. Oswald's daughter from Will's childhood. She reveals the truth about her father's violence to Will and seeks out his mother's assistance during a domestic crisis.

Erleen was Rose Sampson's older, seemingly wealthier best friend during Will's childhood. She enjoys cutting coupons but harbors a habit of shoplifting, which once led to a police interrogation.

Granny is an elderly woman living past the reservation who is known for helping people repair their marriages. She provides Will with an authentic horsehair rattle for South Wing's birthday.

Joyce is a local woman whose request for a family portrait evolves into a massive town-wide picnic by the river. Her inclusive nature helps Will feel like a true part of the Medicine River community.

Floyd is a younger member of the local basketball team. He struggles with drinking before games but participates heavily in the town's social fabric and relays gossip to Will.

Elwood is another young member of the local all-Native basketball team. He plays under Harlen's leadership and faces similar struggles with discipline as his peers.

Bud is a Medicine River local who notices Harlen's absence at a social event. He informs Will about Harlen's past tragedy and his recent relapse into drinking.

Maydean was a girl from Will's childhood neighborhood who had a mental disability. Will and his brother James cruelly pranked her by trying to trap her in a laundry dryer.