Middle Sister is an 18-year-old woman living in a 1970s Northern Irish community strictly divided by sectarian conflict. Attempting to keep a low profile, she habitually reads classic books while walking as a coping mechanism to avoid absorbing the dangerous environment around her. She faces an impossible situation when a much older paramilitary member begins to persistently stalk her, forcing her to survive in a rigid, patriarchal society that offers young women little protection.

Milkman is a 41-year-old, high-ranking member of the local paramilitary force. Despite his moniker, he has no actual connection to the dairy industry, instead using his alias to maneuver through the community with complete impunity. He leverages his age and political authority to relentlessly pursue young women, masking his menacing presence under a veneer of polite deniability.

Maybe-Boyfriend is a 20-year-old car mechanic who dates Middle Sister. As the son of internationally famous ballroom dancers who left him their house, he is one of the few young men in the district to own a home. He fills his property with salvaged car parts and possesses an earnest demeanor that occasionally clashes with the neighborhood's strict expectations for men.

Ma is Middle Sister's 50-year-old widowed mother. Highly traditional in her social and religious views, she is deeply concerned about her children's reputations and futures. She functions as an amateur medical practitioner for the neighborhood and frequently criticizes Middle Sister's life choices, becoming highly alarmed by rumors of her daughter's involvement with a paramilitary member.

Third-Brother-In-Law is a 19-year-old athletic young man known for his idiosyncratic, reverential attitude toward women. He expects women to be doughty and inspirational, a viewpoint that sets him apart from the toxic masculinity prevalent in the district. He acts as a dedicated running partner and protective friend to Middle Sister.

Somebody McSomebody is an 18-year-old resident of the neighborhood who comes from an entrenched, tragedy-stricken paramilitary family. Lacking the political clout of actual leaders, he adopts a menacing persona to intimidate Middle Sister. His relentless behavior represents the everyday harassment women face in the district.

Wee Sisters are Middle Sister's three younger siblings, aged seven, eight, and nine. They are remarkably precocious, spending their time debating complex subjects like Russian Nihilism alongside typical childhood activities. Their innocence and open-minded curiosity stand in stark contrast to the paranoid society around them.

Chef is Maybe-Boyfriend's closest childhood companion. Despite not actually working as a professional cook, his deep interest in baking makes him a constant target for homophobic bullying in a community that strictly enforces traditional masculinity. He is anxious, emotional, and fiercely protected by his best friend.

Real Milkman is the district's actual dairy deliveryman. He is considered a social outcast largely because he openly refuses to let paramilitaries stash weapons on his property. Despite his low community standing, he is fundamentally kind-hearted and one of the few men who genuinely listens to women's concerns without judgment.

Longest Friend is Middle Sister's earliest and most trusted childhood companion. As they have grown older, she has become deeply invested in the district's political resistance, aligning herself closely with the paramilitaries. She serves as a strict enforcer of social norms, prioritizing political conformity over personal loyalty.

Eldest Sister is the oldest female sibling in Middle Sister's family. She acts the part of a highly deferential, traditional wife to her older husband, often turning a blind eye to his deeply problematic behavior. She eagerly attempts to force the community's strict expectations on her younger sister, creating significant friction between them.

First-Brother-In-Law is Eldest Sister's husband. Considerably older than his wife, he exhibits sexually predatory behavior toward the younger girls in the family, having harassed Middle Sister since she was a child. He uses his position as an elder male to assert dominance under the false guise of familial concern.

Tablets Girl is a wiry, mentally disturbed young woman known for stealthily slipping drugs into people's drinks at local bars. Living in a state of perpetual fear induced by the ongoing war, she views any expression of hope or optimism as a dangerous threat, projecting her deep-seated anxieties onto the people around her.

Second Sister is one of Middle Sister's older siblings. She is considered notorious within the tight-knit Catholic neighborhood for marrying a Protestant loyalist and moving away, an act of rebellion that led to severe violent retaliation from the local paramilitaries.

Third Sister is an older sibling of Middle Sister. She spends much of her time socializing and drinking with friends, taking a comical pride in a tiny, foot-high miniature hedge in front of her home that neighborhood residents constantly trip over.

Tablets Girl's Shiny Sister is an 18-year-old girl who remains remarkably hopeful and kind-hearted despite the heavy cynicism that blankets her community. Because she represents optimism and lightness, her severely traumatized older sister views her as a profound threat.

Da is Middle Sister's deceased father. During his life, he struggled with severe depression that his wife viewed as entirely self-indulgent. To channel his underlying angst, he obsessively collected archives of news related to the political conflict and other dark historical tragedies.

Third Brother is Middle Sister's twin sibling. Like many people in the conflict-ridden district, he embodies the community's intense fear of true happiness, leading him to marry someone he does not genuinely love simply to avoid the devastating pain of potentially losing a true soulmate to the ongoing violence.

Nuclear Boy is Somebody McSomebody's 15-year-old younger brother. He is considered a social outcast because he obsesses entirely over the geopolitical threat of the Cold War rather than the immediate, localized violence happening directly on his own streets.

Second Brother and his closest friend, Fourth Brother, represent the tragic trajectory of local young men in the district. Second Brother was killed in a shootout after joining the paramilitaries at age fourteen, while Fourth Brother, who was informally adopted into the family, remains on the run for his violent actions.

French Teacher is an instructor who leads the evening classes Middle Sister attends. She possesses a unique aesthetic appreciation for the world, notably trying to teach her traumatized, rigid students to simply look out the window and recognize that a sunset can be composed of multiple beautiful colors.

The Issue Women are a small, fiercely debated feminist collective operating within the district. Because they address issues of gender inequality and domestic violence rather than strict sectarian politics, they are viewed with deep suspicion by traditionalists and paramilitaries alike.

The Paramilitary Groupies are a subculture of young women who heavily idolize the local renouncers. They pride themselves on dating men involved in the violent political resistance, viewing the paramilitaries' dangerous, unchecked masculinity as elemental and thrilling rather than threatening.

The International Couple are world-renowned champion ballroom dancers. Having left the district to pursue their professional dancing careers when their children were young, they are uniquely respected across all sectarian and religious lines, serving as a rare symbol of cosmopolitan success for the neighborhood.

Nigel and Jason of the Names are the married record-keepers for the district. Their nicknames are highly ironic, given that both names are considered overly British and are strictly banned by the community's informal laws to maintain cultural purity.

Maybe-Boyfriend's Neighbor is a local man who aggressively voices strict ideological purity. During a gathering, he insinuates that a supercharger part might have belonged to a car bearing a British flag, sparking a dangerous rumor about loyalty that ripples through the neighborhood.