The Narrator is an unborn fetus residing in his mother's womb, just weeks away from birth. Despite his physical confinement, he possesses a highly developed intellect, absorbing knowledge about global politics, literature, and philosophy through the podcasts and news broadcasts his mother plays. He acts as a helpless but highly observant witness to the dangerous conspiracy unfolding in his family home.

Trudy is a pregnant woman living in a neglected ancestral home while estranged from her husband, John. Feeling trapped in her marriage, she engages in a secret relationship with John's brother, Claude. She spends her days drinking wine and plotting a financially motivated conspiracy with Claude to secure her future.

Claude is John's brother and Trudy's lover, presenting a distinct contrast to his sibling. He is opportunistic, highly focused on material wealth, and views the world through a lens of practical self-interest rather than intellectual curiosity. He drives the logistical planning of a dangerous scheme aimed at removing John from the picture and securing the family's valuable estate.

John is a struggling publisher and unsuccessful poet who is deeply in debt. He owns the large but decaying ancestral home where his wife, Trudy, currently resides. He possesses a gentle, literary disposition but appears somewhat oblivious to the full extent of his wife's betrayal and the danger brewing in his own family.

Elodie is a young poet whose work focuses primarily on owls. John plans to publish her writing, and she accompanies him to the ancestral home during a tense family gathering. Her presence introduces new complications into the strained dynamic between John, Trudy, and Claude.

Clare Allison is a police inspector who visits the Cairncross home to conduct an official inquiry. She maintains a cheerful, thorough demeanor while asking precise questions about timelines, physical evidence, and family dynamics. Her polite approach masks sharp investigative tactics that apply pressure to her subjects.