Joe is a thirteen-year-old Native American boy living on a North Dakota reservation. He enjoys watching science fiction shows with his friends and secretly reads his father's thick federal Indian law books. He is thrust into a premature adulthood when his mother is brutally attacked, prompting him to organize his own investigation when formal justice stalls.

Bazil is Joe's father and a highly respected judge on the reservation. He bases his life and career on the steady application of tribal law, usually presiding over everyday civil disputes rather than violent crimes. He relies entirely on his wife's organizational skills to keep their family running smoothly and struggles to maintain order when violence shatters their routine.

Geraldine is Joe's mother, Bazil's wife, and a tribal enrollment specialist on the reservation. She possesses extensive knowledge of the community's heritage and secrets, which directly leads to her being targeted. Usually lively and highly organized, she becomes withdrawn, silent, and severely depressed following a brutal assault at the round house.

Linden is a volatile man who owns a struggling gas station off the reservation. He harbors deep resentment toward the Native American community after losing his business monopoly to a reservation-owned competitor. He has a history of violent behavior, entitlement, and intense racial animosity.

Cappy is Joe's loyal best friend. He lives in a somewhat chaotic, unclean household with his brother and his father, who alternates between acting as a janitor and tribal chairman. Cappy is fiercely dedicated to Joe, participating willingly in dangerous searches around the reservation to find clues about the attack.

Linda is a local woman with a visible physical deformity. Adopted and raised by the Wishkob family after being abandoned by her biological parents, she lives a quiet, somewhat reclusive life. Despite enduring significant cruelty from her biological relatives, she demonstrates a remarkable capacity for forgiveness, though she remains deeply guarded.

Zack is one of Joe's close friends and the stepson of a local tribal officer. He spends his free time with the core group of boys, providing companionship and participating in their collective adventures around the reservation.

Angus is part of Joe's core friend group. He lives with his Aunt Star and her boyfriend, Elwin. Resourceful and observant, he uses his access to a police scanner to help his friends uncover details about the investigation occurring in their community.

Clemence is Bazil's sister and Joe's aunt. She is a practical, straightforward woman who provides immediate care and honest answers to Joe when his parents are overwhelmed. She acts as a secondary guardian for Joe during periods of family instability and cares for her elderly father.

Whitey is Joe's uncle and Geraldine's brother. He owns a successful gas station on the reservation that effectively ended the Lark family's monopoly in the area. He has a volatile temperament, particularly when drinking, which causes severe friction in his romantic life.

Sonja is Whitey's girlfriend and a former exotic dancer. She keeps aggressive dogs for protection and maintains a complicated, often abusive relationship with Whitey. She serves as an early object of infatuation for Joe, offering him practical advice while navigating her own difficult circumstances.

Father Travis is the local Catholic priest and an ex-Marine. He has a tough, unconventional demeanor for a clergyman, openly using colorful language and physically confronting the local boys when he catches them spying on his house.

Mooshum is Joe's grandfather, an elderly man who occasionally stays with Clemence. He serves as a connection to the tribe's past, recounting traditional stories about spirits and ancestors in his sleep that parallel Joe's waking experiences.

Mayla is a young Native American woman seeking to register her infant child with the tribe. She carries a secret regarding her child's parentage involving a powerful politician, which puts her at the center of the dangerous conflict involving Geraldine's assault.

Grace Lark (often referred to as Mrs. Lark) is the deceased mother of Linden and Linda. She ran a gas station that exploited Native American customers and initiated a bitter legal battle against the reservation over land rights. She famously rejected her own daughter at birth due to a physical deformity.

Zelia is a beautiful girl visiting from Montana with a religious youth group. She quickly captures Cappy's heart, inspiring him to change his behavior and join her church program just to spend time with her.

Randall is Cappy's older brother. He helps run traditional ceremonies like the sweathouse on the reservation. He has a rough-and-tumble relationship with his younger brother but takes spiritual matters seriously, warning Joe about a mysterious vision he receives.

Star is Angus's aunt and primary caretaker. She lives with her boyfriend, Elwin, and provides a home for her nephew on the reservation.

Elwin is Star's boyfriend who lives in the same house as Angus, forming part of the boy's unconventional family structure.

Bugger is a strange local man whose discarded clothing and beer cans complicate the initial search of the crime scene at the round house.

Mrs. Wishkob is a hospital cleaning woman who secretly nursed an abandoned infant and reshaped her misshapen body, eventually adopting her and raising her on the reservation.

Grandma Thunder is an elderly woman in the community known for her dirty mind and unfiltered vocabulary. The local boys occasionally visit her home when they are looking for a meal.