Candace is a twenty-something first-generation immigrant from China who works as a Senior Product Coordinator for the Bibles division at Spectra in Manhattan. In the years prior to the Shen Fever pandemic, she relies on consumer goods and repetitive work schedules to pass the time, remaining emotionally distant from her peers. As the fatal fungal disease spreads, she stays in the city and honors her corporate contract until she is utterly alone, eventually linking up with a band of survivors.

Ruifang is Candace's mother, who initially raises her in the coastal city of Fuzhou before joining her husband in Utah. Struggling with severe homesickness and a loss of social standing in America, she relies on rituals like an elaborate skincare routine and daily prayer to cope. She puts immense pressure on Candace to assimilate into American culture, creating a permanent rift between them.

Bob is a former IT professional who takes command of a small group of survivors following the outbreak of Shen Fever. He enforces a strict hierarchy and relies on a born-again Christian faith to justify his harsh directives. He leads the group on daily stalks to loot houses, actively executing any living fevered individuals they encounter.

Jonathan is a freelance writer and Candace's boyfriend prior to the pandemic. He actively rejects corporate work culture and consumerism, preferring to scrape by in a basement apartment. Disillusioned with the high cost and status obsession of New York, he attempts to persuade Candace to leave her job and the city behind.

Zhigang is Candace's father, who uproots the family from China to pursue economic advancement in the United States. He spends almost all his time working his way up the corporate ladder, believing that relentless effort will validate the sacrifices he forced his family to make.

Balthasar is an Operations Director at a printing facility that manufactures Bibles for Spectra. He attempts to connect with Candace during her business trip to Shenzhen, conversing with her in Mandarin and sharing local poetry.

Blythe is a product coordinator at Spectra who works alongside Candace before transferring to the Art department. She belongs to a glamorous clique known as the Art Girls and attempts to include Candace in social activities.

Evan is a white-collar professional who survives the initial Shen Fever outbreak and joins Bob's caravan. He hoards anxiety medication from their looting runs and forms a close bond with a few other younger members of the group, occasionally pushing back against Bob's rigid rules.

Ashley is a member of the survivor group traveling toward the Facility. She feels uneasy about Bob's leadership and conspires with her friends to potentially abandon the group if their destination proves unsatisfactory.

Janelle is another member of the post-apocalyptic survivor group. She is fiercely loyal to Ashley and Evan, actively suggesting they bring Candace into their secret plans.

Steven is an attorney with whom Candace has a casual affair early in her time in New York. Candace is drawn more to his expensive belongings and outward success than to his personality.

Michael is the owner of the Spectra book-printing company. He hires Candace based on her attention to detail and routinely pushes his employees to prioritize work over their personal lives.

Jane is Candace's former roommate in Brooklyn. She initiates a party centered around shark fin soup, pushing Candace into uncomfortable displays of her cultural heritage.

Bing Bing is Candace's cousin who lives in Fuzhou. Candace remembers walking through the hot, coastal city at night with him, feeling a deep sense of connection she lacks in America.