Kenna is a 26-year-old woman recently released from prison for involuntary vehicular manslaughter. Driven by a desperate need to meet her four-year-old daughter, she returns to her hometown and secures a low-income apartment and a cashier job. She carries intense grief and guilt regarding the accident that killed her boyfriend. To avoid causing pain to others, she often isolates herself and temporarily uses her middle name, Nicole, to avoid early recognition.

Ledger is a former professional football player whose career ended early due to a severe knee injury. He now owns a local bar and coaches youth T-ball in his hometown. As Scotty's childhood best friend, he remains heavily involved in raising Scotty's daughter. He is highly protective of the Landry family and struggles to reconcile his harsh assumptions about Kenna with the lonely woman he meets in his bar.

Scotty is Kenna's late boyfriend and Ledger's best friend. His tragic death in a car accident five years earlier hangs heavily over the entire town. Before his death, he was deeply in love with Kenna and eager to build a future together. Though he is no longer alive, his memory heavily influences the grief, anger, and motivations of the townspeople he left behind.

Diem is the four-year-old daughter of Kenna and Scotty, born while Kenna was incarcerated. Raised entirely by her paternal grandparents, she is an energetic and highly imaginative child. She dreams of being a fencer and prefers pretending T-balls are dragon eggs over participating in structured sports. She brings immense joy and a sense of purpose to Ledger and her grandparents.

Grace is Scotty's grieving mother who, along with her husband, has taken full legal custody of Diem. Devastated by the loss of her son, she harbors deep resentment toward Kenna for her role in the accident and her apparent indifference during the trial. She is highly protective of Diem's stability and strictly limits any perceived threats to their household.

Patrick is Scotty's father and Diem's grandfather. Like his wife, he remains trapped in his grief over his son's tragic death. He views Kenna as an active, immediate threat to his family's hard-won peace and is quick to anger when defending his granddaughter's current lifestyle against any disruption.

Roman is a bartender and former professional football player whose career, like Ledger's, was cut short by injury. After struggling with a substance use disorder, he found a supportive employer and close friend in Ledger. He provides Kenna with a friendly, non-judgmental face when she begins working long hours at the bar.

Lucy is a friendly teenager with Down Syndrome who lives near Kenna and works at the local grocery store. Preferring to go by the nickname "Lady Diana," she quickly offers Kenna a warm friendship when Kenna feels most isolated in her new apartment building.

Adeline is Lucy's mother and one of Kenna's neighbors. Unaware of Kenna's full history and her complicated connection to the Landry family, she kindly invites Kenna to a neighborhood Mother's Day gathering.

Ruth is the landlady of the low-income apartment building where Kenna stays. Recognizing Kenna's severe loneliness, she offers a quiet gesture of kindness by gifting her a small stray kitten to keep her company.

Amy is the manager of the small grocery market in town. She believes heavily in offering second chances and hires Kenna as a cashier despite her lack of experience and her recent prison record, providing her with much-needed income.

Ivy is a woman serving a life sentence who befriended Kenna during her incarceration. She acted as a surrogate mother figure, offering Kenna crucial emotional support and wisdom during her severe postpartum depression behind bars.

Mary Anne is a server at Ledger's bar who is naturally curious about the quiet new dishwasher. She eagerly shares local gossip with Kenna, including details about Ledger's recently canceled wedding plans.

Mona is an older woman who cared for Kenna during her time bouncing through the foster care system. She provided Kenna with her first genuine understanding of what a supportive, loving mother figure should act like.

Ivy is a small stray kitten given to Kenna by her landlady. Named after the woman who helped Kenna in prison, the kitten serves as Kenna's sole steady companion in her quiet, lonely new life.