Constance, known as Connie, is a fourteen-year-old girl whose life is overturned when her mother faces a criminal trial following a tragic home birth. Forced to mature quickly under the stress of a family scandal, she projects a stoic exterior for her parents while harboring deep anxieties. She narrates the story from her adult perspective as an obstetrician looking back on the traumatic events of her youth.

Sibyl is a thirty-four-year-old lay midwife in Reddington, Vermont. A former 1960s hippie, she views childbirth as a natural, empowering experience rather than a clinical medical condition. She faces an involuntary manslaughter charge after a difficult home birth goes horribly wrong. Her professional competence and profound empathy are placed at the center of a tense legal debate.

Rand is a thirty-six-year-old architect, husband to Sibyl, and father to Connie. He frequently feels overwhelmed by his childminding duties and often argues with Sibyl about her unpredictable work hours. When the state brings charges against his wife, his underlying devotion surfaces, though the extreme stress takes a visible emotional toll on him.

Stephen is a thirty-six-year-old defense attorney based in Burlington. Known for securing acquittals in sensational cases, he is impeccably dressed, strategic, and highly competitive. He views the law as a calculated game of perception, relying on courtroom theatrics and semantics rather than strict truths.

William, known primarily as Bill Tanner, is the aggressive State Attorney prosecuting Sibyl's case. He holds a deep hostility toward the practice of lay midwifery, viewing it as a dangerous and illicit operation. He builds his prosecution on specific wording and graphic descriptions to sway the jury against alternative medicine.

Asa is a Quaker pastor who recently relocated his family from Alabama to Vermont. Known for his fierce, apocalyptic sermons, his personal demeanor is surprisingly gentle and warm. He faces a profound tragedy when his wife goes into respiratory failure during a home birth, leaving him to raise a newborn under intensely painful circumstances.

Charlotte is a petite, pale woman from Mobile, Alabama. She seeks out Sibyl's services for a natural home delivery, expecting a smooth labor based on her previous pregnancy. Her grueling labor during a massive winter storm creates a life-or-death crisis that triggers the novel's central legal conflict.

Anne is a twenty-two-year-old assistant and apprentice midwife. Having assisted in fewer than ten births, she lacks extensive medical experience. Her alarm regarding Sibyl's emergency procedures leads her to contact authorities, cementing her role as a devastating witness for the prosecution.

Tom is a sixteen-year-old local boy who becomes Connie's first serious boyfriend. Adults view him warily due to his cigarette smoking and truant friends, but he proves to be sweet, respectful, and reliable. He provides Connie with crucial emotional stability while her family collapses under legal scrutiny.

Dr. Brian Hewitt, affectionately known as B. P., is a sympathetic local physician. He serves as Sibyl's back-up doctor for complicated cases and trusts her judgment implicitly. He risks his own professional reputation to stand by her despite the hostility of the broader medical establishment.

Rollie is Connie's teenage best friend. She owns a horse named Witch Grass and provides Connie with a sense of normalcy and teenage freedom. Her presence offers a stark contrast to the heavy adult burdens weighing on the Danforth household.

Nonny is Sibyl's mother and Connie's grandmother. Protective and deeply concerned for her family's well-being, she attempts to shield young Connie from the distressing spectacle of the courtroom, prioritizing the child's emotional health.

Patty is the state's first female private investigator. Hired by Stephen, she works behind the scenes to gather sympathetic witnesses and assist with critical trial preparation, operating as a reliable asset for the defense.

Judge Dorset is the magistrate presiding over Sibyl's controversial trial. He mediates the intense, often bitter legal sparring between Stephen Hastings and Bill Tanner. He makes critical rulings on evidence that fundamentally shape the direction of the case.

Cheryl is a striking, middle-aged midwife who rallies around Sibyl in the wake of the tragedy. Prone to delivering long, unbroken monologues, her constant presence in the house provides communal support but sometimes frustrates Rand.

Sergeant Rhodes is a state trooper investigating Charlotte's death. He secures Sibyl's unguarded, unrepresented statement just hours after the tragedy. His testimony later casts an ominous light on the physical evidence found at the Bedford home.

Sergeant Tilly is a state trooper working alongside Sergeant Rhodes. He helps investigate the events surrounding the Bedford home birth and assists in officially arresting Sibyl.

Dr. Tierney is the medical examiner who conducts Charlotte Bedford's autopsy. His clinical findings regarding blood volume and cause of death form the critical medical foundation of the prosecution's case against Sibyl.

Jared, affectionately nicknamed Foogie, is the energetic seven-year-old son of Asa and Charlotte Bedford. He eagerly awaits the arrival of his new sibling, unaware of the impending crisis that will fracture his family.

Veil is the newborn son of Charlotte and Asa Bedford. He is brought into the world via an emergency home cesarean section during a brutal winter storm. His survival is the central defense for Sibyl's extreme actions.

Dr. Gerson is a midwife turned obstetrician who testifies against Sibyl. She argues that Charlotte's anemia would have been better managed in a clinical setting, reinforcing the prosecution's argument that home births are inherently risky.

Lori is one of Sibyl's clients and the first woman Connie watches give birth. Her successful, peaceful home delivery helps shape Connie's early understanding of her mother's profession.

David is Lori's husband. He is present for the home birth of his daughter, initially expressing mild concern about young Connie witnessing the delivery but ultimately accepting her presence.

Emily is the infant daughter of Lori and David Pine. Her smooth birth represents the typical, successful outcome of Sibyl's midwifery practice that stands in contrast to the Bedford tragedy.