Natasha Trethewey is a contemporary poet born in Gulfport, Mississippi, to a Canadian immigrant father and an African American mother. She earns her MFA in Poetry at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and utilizes classical poetic forms to bring order to emotionally chaotic experiences. Her writing frequently draws specific connections between historical facts, Greek mythology, and autobiographical events.

Gwendolyn Turnbough is a social worker who relocates her daughter to Atlanta in search of a progressive environment with better opportunities. She actively encourages Natasha to pursue writing from a young age. In Natasha's poetry, Gwendolyn acts as a central emotional focus and is frequently associated with the tragic figure of Eurydice.

Joel Grimmette is Gwendolyn's second husband and the father of her son, Joey. He creates a highly volatile and abusive household environment that leaves deep emotional scars on his stepdaughter. His threatening behavior results in a 1984 conviction and introduces lasting trauma into the family structure.

Orpheus is a mythological Greek figure and a uniquely talented musician of the lyre. Deeply devoted to his wife, he undertakes a desperate journey into the Underworld after a sudden tragedy. He uses his heartbreaking song to bargain for a chance to bring his lost love back to the surface.

Eurydice is a beautiful nymph who shares a deep bond with Orpheus. After a traumatic event separates her from the living world, she becomes trapped in the dark region of Erebus. She remains the tragic focus of Orpheus's grief and his obsessive desire to pull her back into the morning light.

Eric Trethewey is a Canadian immigrant, poet, and professor who serves as Natasha's biological father. He introduces Natasha to the craft of writing and instructs her to use poetry as a tool to process boredom and emotional distress. After divorcing Gwendolyn, he moves to New Orleans but remains a profound literary influence on his daughter.

Joey Grimmette is the son of Gwendolyn Turnbough and Joel Grimmette. He grows up in the Atlanta area as the younger half-brother to Natasha, sharing the family's turbulent home environment.

Brett V. Gadsen is a historian who becomes Natasha's husband in 1998. He provides a supportive partnership as she builds her academic career, publishes award-winning poetry collections, and earns prestigious literary honors.

Aristaeus is a mythological figure who develops an intense fixation on Eurydice. His aggressive pursuit of her through the woods precipitates the tragic accident that traps her in the Underworld forever.

Apollo is a Greek god who passes his divine musical gifts down to his son. His lineage gives Orpheus the extraordinary artistic abilities needed to charm the rulers of the Underworld.

Hades is a powerful mythological ruler of the Underworld. Alongside Persephone, he presides over the souls of the departed and sets the strict, unforgiving conditions under which Orpheus is permitted to retrieve Eurydice.

Persephone is a mythological ruler who oversees the Underworld with Hades. She listens to Orpheus's heartbreakingly beautiful music and helps grant him the conditional opportunity to bring his wife back to the surface.