Captain Kidd is a 71-year-old veteran of the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War who travels across post-war Texas reading newspapers to isolated communities. Originally from Georgia, the widower holds a deep respect for the written word and relies on his old-fashioned manners and strict moral code. He accepts the difficult task of transporting a captive girl back to her relatives, drawing upon his frontier military experience and patient demeanor to manage the dangerous journey.

Johanna is a ten-year-old girl who was captured by the Kiowa at age four and recently returned to white society. She identifies completely with Kiowa culture, calls herself Cicada, and speaks almost no English. Traveling with Captain Kidd, she uses a large Mexican poncho as a security blanket and views the unfamiliar European-American society with deep, self-protective suspicion.

Britt is a free Black man who earns his living hauling freight across the dangerous roads of post-war Texas. He initially accepts the task of returning Johanna to her family but realizes the severe danger a group of Black men faces traveling with a white girl in 1870. He possesses personal experience with Plains Indian captives, having previously retrieved his own son from the Kiowa.

Almay is a pale-haired man who trails the Captain's wagon along the rural Texas roads. He commands two Caddo men as hired muscle and operates an illicit criminal business. He views the young, vulnerable Johanna as a lucrative opportunity and aggressively attempts to purchase her from the Captain.

John is a young Texas man caught up in the lawless atmosphere of the post-war frontier. Though he initially participates in harassing the Captain and extorting money from him, he later demonstrates a capacity for reflection and quietly asks the Captain for advice on studying the law.

Wilhelm is Johanna's uncle, a German immigrant who originally paid an agent for her safe return. He runs an agricultural operation in southern Texas and views the recovery of his traumatized niece primarily as a transactional business arrangement, showing more concern for financial receipts than her emotional state.

Anna is a German immigrant who lives on a farm in the Castroville area. She expects immediate hard work from those living on her property and shows little understanding of the severe trauma her newly returned niece has experienced during her years on the plains.

Mrs. Gannet is an attractive widow who independently runs a business in Dallas. She displays a warm, capable demeanor and readily agrees to watch over the distressed Johanna, handling the girl's erratic behavior in the hotel room with surprising kindness and patience.

Simon is a local fiddler who plays music for dances in Spanish Fort. He provides the Captain with information about other returned captives in the area and helps watch over Johanna while the Captain conducts his evening readings.

Doris is an Irish woman traveling with the fiddler Simon Boudlin. She survived the Great Hunger in Ireland, and this traumatic history allows her to recognize the signs of severe starvation and trauma in Johanna. She immediately feels a strong sense of protective sympathy for the orphaned child.

Maria is the Captain's late wife, a younger woman from an established Spanish family in San Antonio. Though she passed away prior to the events of the story, her memory heavily influences the Captain's decisions and his deep personal attachment to Texas.

Elizabeth is the Captain's industrious younger daughter, currently living in Georgia with her husband Emory. She corresponds with her father about recovering her mother's family property and discusses the complicated logistics of eventually moving to Texas.

Olympia is the Captain's older daughter. Widowed during the Civil War, she currently lives with her sister Elizabeth's family in Georgia while her father encourages them all to relocate to the frontier for better economic opportunities.

Adolph is a German immigrant who knows the Leonberger family. He displays genuine joy upon hearing that Johanna has survived her captivity and eagerly rides ahead to deliver the news of her arrival to her relatives.

The Horrells are a group of reckless, uneducated cowboys operating in Lampasas. They harbor a violent reputation and hold the misguided belief that their aggressive actions against local Mexicans will earn them fame in the eastern newspapers the Captain reads.

The Merritt brothers are polite cowboys involved in a local feud. They respect the Captain from his previous public readings and take time away from their work to warn him about the danger posed by their rivals, keeping a watchful eye on his wagon.