Maria is a 31-year-old actress from the small desert town of Silver Wells, Nevada. Currently living in Beverly Hills, she spends her days driving aimlessly on the Los Angeles freeways to cope with the emptiness of her Hollywood lifestyle. She feels deeply isolated, estranged from her husband and separated from her young daughter, who lives in a medical facility. Raised by a father who viewed life as a gamble, she looks at her current circumstances through a lens of quiet, existential detachment.

Carter is a highly acclaimed, controlling Hollywood director who launched Maria's acting career by casting her in his early films. He prioritizes his burgeoning career over his marriage, frequently leaving to shoot movies in the desert or tour Europe. He views life through the composed lens of filmmaking, striving for order and frequently dismissing his wife's emotional distress.

Helene is a wealthy Hollywood socialite in her mid-thirties who obsesses over her appearance and aging. She hides her insecurities behind superficial gossip, beauty treatments, and lavish shopping trips. As one of Maria's closest acquaintances, her frivolous nature contrasts heavily with Maria's deepening depression.

BZ is a perpetually tanned, successful film producer and close friend to Carter. Despite being at the center of Hollywood's elite social circles, he struggles with profound disillusionment. He feels a kinship with Maria, as both mask their inner pain beneath the superficial demands of their environment.

Kate is the four-year-old daughter of Maria and Carter. She has an unspecified neurological condition that causes erratic behavior and emotional detachment. Carter keeps her in a psychiatric institution, a decision that causes her mother immense pain and guilt.

Harry is Maria's father, an optimistic lifelong gambler who once owned the small Nevada town of Silver Wells. He views life entirely through the metaphor of a craps game, believing that one must always stay at the table to win. He encourages Maria's acting ambitions to fulfill his own desire for action and risk.

Francine is Maria's mother, a woman who dreamed of exotic places while living in the desolate Nevada desert. She suffers from migraines and depression, projecting her unfulfilled yearning for adventure onto her daughter's move to New York.

Benny is Harry Wyeth's loyal friend and business partner who believed completely in Harry's schemes for Silver Wells. With his folksy, emphatic way of speaking, he represents a tether to Maria's childhood innocence that she struggles to reconcile with her current Hollywood life.

Les is a married screenwriter involved in an affair with Maria. He attempts to offer her genuine emotional support amidst the shallowness of her other relationships, but the constraints of his marriage make true connection difficult.

Freddy is Maria's Hollywood agent. He is practical and unsentimental, viewing Maria primarily as a commodity whose value has dropped since she stopped working on Carter's films.

Ivan is a man Maria dated in New York before she married Carter. He is domineering and uses sex to exert control over her, showing no interest in building a stable, supportive relationship.

Larry is a well-connected figure with ties to the criminal underworld. BZ and others frequently attempt to push Maria into socializing with him to secure acting work, treating him as a necessary evil of the industry.

Carlotta is BZ's wealthy, controlling mother. She actively orchestrates her son's contract marriage to Helene in order to maintain appearances and conceal his sexual orientation.

Felicia is Les Goodwin's wife. She appears seemingly oblivious to her husband's infidelity and forces Maria into painful small talk during phone calls.

Susannah is the lead actress in Carter's latest film. She works under difficult conditions in the desert, displaying a high tolerance for the chaotic and abusive environment around the production.