Capricorn is a thirteen-year-old boy who has lived his entire life in isolation on Garland Farm, a former commune. Homeschooled by his grandmother, he is academically advanced but completely unaware of modern social norms, popular culture, or currency. His calm, earnest demeanor makes him impervious to traditional middle school bullying. He approaches his new public school environment with genuine curiosity and a peaceful disposition.

Rain is Capricorn's grandmother and sole guardian, a former San Francisco taxi driver who founded the Garland Farm commune in the late 1960s. She is uncompromising in her anti-establishment ideals and scorns mainstream society's materialism and rules. Her authoritarian approach to homeschooling ensures Capricorn adopts her worldview without outside interference.

Flora is a pragmatic and empathetic social worker who takes Capricorn into her own home during Rain's recovery. Having lived on Garland Farm herself as a child, she intimately understands the severe culture shock Capricorn faces. She worries about his ability to survive the harsh realities of middle school while trying to guide him through the transition.

Zach is an eighth-grader, captain of the football and soccer teams, and the self-appointed ruler of the middle school hierarchy. Accustomed to dictating social trends and commanding respect, he operates on the belief that the strong should dominate the weak. He eagerly plans to nominate the school's biggest outcast for class president in order to orchestrate a year of public humiliation.

Sophie is Flora's sixteen-year-old daughter, a high schooler intensely focused on earning her driver's license and fitting in. Cynical and often hostile, she uses anger to mask the persistent disappointment she feels toward her unreliable father. She views her new foster housemate as a mortifying obstacle to her social life.

Hugh is an intelligent but deeply insecure eighth-grader who has endured years of relentless bullying as the school's primary outcast. Hyper-aware of the middle school social hierarchy, he views survival as a constant struggle. He quickly aligns himself with Capricorn solely for self-preservation, happy to let someone else absorb the school's cruelty.

Naomi is an eighth-grade student deeply invested in the middle school popularity game and determined to become Zach's girlfriend. Though she initially participates willingly in the cruel pranks against the new class president, she possesses a sensitive core. She begins to question her own behavior when confronted with genuine kindness.

Darryl is a formidable middle school football player who uses his physical size to enforce Zach's rule over the student body. While he acts as the muscle for the popular crowd's hazing rituals, he possesses a foundational sense of fairness. He ultimately struggles with the guilt of participating in unjust cruelty.

Mr. Kasigi is the assistant principal of Claverage Middle School, a distracted administrator with aspirations of being promoted to a high school principal position. He turns a blind eye to the school's established hazing rituals to preserve a facade of normalcy. He frequently delegates important tasks without proper instruction or oversight.

Lena is an attractive, confident eighth-grader whose strong personality naturally draws followers. As a key member of the school's ruling clique, she easily moves through the social hierarchy while maintaining a magnetic, sometimes bulldozing influence over her peers.

Bill is Sophie's father and Flora's ex-husband. Armed with inherent salesman charm, he easily talks his way into and out of situations. He repeatedly makes grand promises to his daughter, such as helping her practice driving or buying her thoughtful gifts, but consistently fails to follow through.

Mr. Rodrigo is the exhausted driver of the Claverage Middle School bus. He suffers a serious medical emergency while on his route, forcing an unprepared student to take the wheel in traffic.

Miss Agnew is the art teacher at Claverage Middle School. Recognizing the new student's heroics from a recent news story, she actively encourages his impromptu tie-dye lesson rather than disciplining him for skipping class.