Helen Lingate is the novel’s protagonist, a dynamic and round character whose journey is one of gradual, painful awakening. Initially, she is a passive and controlled figure, living a life circumscribed by her family’s immense wealth and the paranoia surrounding her mother’s death. She performs the role of the dutiful, sheltered daughter out of fear and a sense of obligation, while she harbors an intense desire to break free. Confined to a life with few real choices, she is a product of Maintaining Wealth to Gain Impunity, which has trapped her by necessitating a total reduction of autonomy. In order to make it seem like the Lingates possess their former wealth and security, Helen needs to erase herself from the public eye.

The arrival of Lorna Moreno and the discovery of her mother’s unpublished play, Saltwater, are the primary catalysts for Helen’s transformation. Through her friendship with Lorna, Helen begins to see the possibility of an escape, and she gains the vocabulary and courage to articulate her resentment. Though Helen has always entertained the idea of fleeing her family to live with Ciro, only Lorna brings that reality to the forefront of Helen’s mind as a real possibility.