Trond Sander is a 67-year-old man who moves to a remote cabin in eastern Norway in 1999 to seek solitude. He spends his days completing routine chores and reflecting on the formative summer of 1948, which he spent with his father near the Swedish border. He relies on practical tasks to manage his physical aging and the unspoken grief he carries from his adult life.

Trond's father is a practical, methodical man who spends the summer of 1948 obsessively felling a spruce forest to sell as timber. He previously operated as a Norwegian Resistance fighter, using his unassuming demeanor to pass messages past German soldiers. He tries to impart lessons of self-reliance to Trond but keeps his true motivations for his urgent work hidden.

Jon is Trond's closest friend during the summer of 1948 and the oldest son of the neighboring farmers. He acts bold and restless, teaching Trond how to take risks and jump into action without overthinking. Beneath his energetic exterior, Jon suppresses the heavy emotional toll of a recent family tragedy that drastically alters his behavior.

Introduced as Trond's neighbor in 1999, Lars lives alone with his dog. He possesses a weather-beaten face and a quiet, practical demeanor. He shares a hidden childhood connection with Trond, having been the younger brother of Jon and the twin brother of Odd during the summer of 1948.

Jon's mother is a physically capable woman who lives on the neighboring farm. She helps Trond's father fell and stack trees, matching the men in strength and endurance. Having previously worked to smuggle messages and refugees into Sweden during the German occupation, she carries an unspoken history that influences her present actions.

Trond's mother is a steady, domestic presence who stays in the city while her son and husband spend the summer near the Swedish border. She represents the life Trond left behind and serves as a stabilizing figure when his circumstances shift.

Jon's father is a local farmer whose inaction during the war created a permanent rift between him and his wife. He is noticeably passive compared to the other men and harbors deep insecurities that surface during intense physical labor.

Franz is a local lumberjack and a loyal friend to Trond's father. Marked by a red communist star tattoo on his forearm, he is physically strong, unshakeable, and quick-thinking. Having served in the Resistance, he provides Trond with vital context about his father's secretive past.

Ellen is Trond's adult daughter from his first marriage. Assertive and perceptive, she actively searches for her father after he moves to the woods without leaving a forwarding address. She acts as a stabilizing force, directly challenging Trond's desire for absolute isolation.

Barkald is the wealthiest landowner in the region, possessing the resources and animals that the other men rely on. He strikes a practical bargain with Trond and his father, trading the use of a horse for their labor during the intensive haymaking season.

Uncle Amund is the brother of Trond's father. He survived the German occupation, unlike his twin brother who was killed by the Gestapo. He steps in to provide financial assistance to Trond and his mother.

Odd is the ten-year-old twin brother of Lars. His sudden loss in an accident with an unsecured firearm deeply alters the dynamics of the Haug family and casts a shadow over the entire summer of 1948.