Frida is a successful day trader who survived a childhood inside a restrictive cult in the Hudson Valley. Her professional success relies on her affinity for numbers and logic, which provide her with a sense of order. She struggles with severe anxiety and panic attacks resulting from her past, managing these symptoms through compulsive cleaning and rigid routines. She remains fiercely protective of her adoptive sibling, Gabriel.

Gabriel works as a research assistant for a Roman history scholar. He shares a traumatic childhood with Frida, having grown up in the same communal cult. He is naturally rule-abiding and seeks affirmation from authority figures, making his adjustment to the outside world difficult. He copes with depression and lingering guilt through his academic study of classical history.

William is a wealthy media mogul who built his fortune buying up tabloid newspapers. He vacations at the Escalante resort with his much younger wife. He exerts aggressive control over his environment and uses his publications to attack public figures, prioritizing his social status and power over genuine emotional connections.

Émile is a charismatic French immigrant who founded an isolated cult in the Hudson Valley. He enforces communal living and separates children from their parents to maintain absolute control. He demands compliance from his followers through convoluted lectures and harsh physical punishment.

Sabrina is a young woman married to a powerful media mogul. She grew up in a working-class household in New Jersey with an unstable family life. She spends her vacation at the resort reading classical literature and quietly navigating her difficult marriage.

Edwina is a teenager raised inside Émile's cult. She strictly adheres to the compound's rules and acts as a quiet enforcer of Émile's directives. She harbors deep jealousy regarding Frida's administrative position in the community.

Annie is a fiercely clearheaded woman from an affluent family who works for her father's high-powered business. She meets Frida in college and bonds easily with her before being introduced to Gabriel. She views the world through strict moral binaries and lacks patience for emotional instability.

Detective Harris is the police officer assigned to investigate a death at the Escalante resort. He maintains a relaxed conversational tone while quietly running deep background checks on the hotel guests.

Joan is a local bartender who encounters Gabriel and Frida when they sneak out of the cult as children. She provides a safe haven for the runaways by offering free food and drinks without asking invasive questions.

Howard is a prominent scholar of Roman history based in New York. He hires Gabriel as a research assistant, providing him an entry into the academic world and a path away from physical labor.