Frankie is a 30-year-old former sous-chef who works developing recipes for a food influencer to maintain a predictable, stress-free life. Driven by a deep-seated fear of abandonment stemming from her mother's childhood absence, she suppresses her passionate, fiery nature in favor of calm stability. When her wedding is abruptly canceled, she retreats to her family's farmhouse before taking a restorative trip to Tofino.

George is an environmental journalist who travels the globe covering climate crises and restoration efforts. Having lost his mother early and suffered neglect from his father, he struggles with a profound fear of loss that keeps him moving. He maintains a fierce, decades-long devotion to Frankie, functioning as her most constant supporter while harboring deeper romantic feelings he hesitates to voice.

Nate is a 46-year-old mathematics professor who offers Frankie a life of respectable stability and calm. He is drawn to the subdued, tranquil version of Frankie that she presents to the world, remaining oblivious to her more volatile, passionate traits. His abrupt decision to call off their wedding via a note triggers a massive upheaval in Frankie's life.

Rebecca is Frankie's mother, a woman who once studied marine biology before pregnancy complications derailed her career. When Frankie was eight, Rebecca left the family for eighteen months to pursue whale conservation on the East Coast. This agonizing choice between her professional passion and her family duties creates a lingering distance between her and Frankie.

Mimi is George's grandmother and guardian, a former principal dancer with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. After her son neglects George, she provides a stable, sprawling home for her grandson at the Big House in rural Ontario. She acts as a wise, dramatic matriarch who observes Frankie and George's bond with a sharp, knowing eye.

Aurora is a tattoo artist and Frankie's close confidante in Toronto. She provides Frankie with a literal and emotional safe haven, offering up her sofa and unconditional support following the canceled wedding. She operates as a grounding voice of reason, often mediating between Frankie's dramatic reactions and objective reality.

Darwin is Frankie's older brother who works in the family cabinetry business. He provides a steady, grounding presence in the Gardiner household and occasionally offers blunt but protective advice regarding his sister's romantic choices.

Moby is Frankie's brother, working as a cybersecurity engineer in Ottawa. He frequently teases Frankie about her intense connection to George and serves as the DJ during the post-dinner wedding celebrations.

Betty is Aurora's girlfriend who shares an apartment in Toronto. She gently encourages Frankie to find her own place when Frankie's post-breakup depression begins to cause household disasters.

Anh is Darwin's wife and a member of the extended Gardiner family. She appreciates the help of others in managing her active toddler during family events.

Birdie is Darwin and Anh's three-year-old daughter. She represents the next generation of the Gardiner family and brings a sense of domestic routine to the farmhouse.

Brie is a food influencer who runs an algorithm-driven culinary company. She employs Frankie to develop recipes, offering a stable but creatively unfulfilling job that prioritizes web traffic over passion.

Kevin is the head of guest experiences at the Tofino resort. Flirtatious and attentive, he plays along with the assumption that Frankie and George are newlyweds while facilitating their romantic dining arrangements.

Derek is a retired fire chief whom George befriended while covering the Kelowna wildfires. He transports the pair to a remote floating sauna, openly assuming they are an established couple.

Liz is a local surfing instructor who guides Frankie and George through the waves. She quickly picks up on the charged dynamic between them and assumes they are romantically involved.

Beau is George's estranged father who severely neglected him following the death of George's mother. His rare, brief reappearances in George's life typically end in betrayal, reinforcing George's deep-seated trauma and reliance on the Gardiners.

Francesca is an endangered North Atlantic right whale that Rebecca observed while pregnant. She serves as Frankie's namesake and becomes a living symbol of Rebecca's marine biology work and the broader environmental crises affecting the oceans.

Atomic Yellow is Aurora's pet cat, who shares the sofa with Frankie during her weeks of post-breakup spiraling.

Edward is Mimi's late husband, a lumber baron who courted her through letters and proposed after a career-ending ballet injury changed the trajectory of her life.

Avery is a former grade-school classmate who functions as a running joke between Frankie and George. Recently divorced, she attempts to recruit Frankie into a pyramid scheme while inquiring about George's relationship status.