A somber 44-year-old author dealing with the grief of his daughter's suicide, who travels to communities affected by gun violence.

A young Black American expatriate in Europe who assists the narrator and grapples with past trauma from a school shooting.

An enigmatic older Black man who threatens the narrator, embodying both menace and a storyteller's charm.

A wealthy French billionaire who sponsors the narrator's European tour and seeks to preserve a version of America through his work.

A funeral director from the narrator’s past who moves to Europe to escape American violence and becomes romantically involved with him.

A physically massive Black Scotsman working for Frenchie, connected to American identity through his familial heritage.

Soot’s deceased daughter, remembered as intelligent and empathetic, whose memory profoundly impacts Soot's life.

Soot’s ex-wife and Mia's mother, who advocates for moving on from their trauma by leaving the location of their shared tragedy.