Abitha is a British woman who recently moved to a remote Puritan settlement in 1666 Connecticut to live with her new husband, Edward. She stands out in the rigid, patriarchal society of Sutton due to her outspoken nature and her knowledge of folk magic, which she learned from her mother in England. Facing the loss of her farm to her brother-in-law, she determines to complete the harvest on her own. Her desperation to avoid a life of forced servitude leads her to form a dangerous alliance with a mysterious entity in the woods.

An ancient, mystical entity who awakens in the Connecticut woods with no memory of his past identity. He possesses a stag-like form with horns and is attended by a group of child-faced animal familiars who call him "Father." While the local Puritans view him as a demonic figure, he forms an intense connection with Abitha. He helps her grow her crops while trying to uncover the truth about his origins and his role as a protector of the forest.

Wallace is Edward's conniving and deeply misogynistic older brother. Facing severe financial trouble after a failed tobacco crop, he attempts to exploit a legal loophole to seize Edward's farm and sell it to his creditor. He believes women should be entirely subservient to men and is enraged by Abitha's refusal to accept a position of servitude in his household after she is widowed.

Reverend Carter and his wife, Sarah, act as the primary religious and moral authorities in the village of Sutton. The Reverend enforces strict adherence to Puritan law, while Sarah leads the women of the congregation. Despite their position in an oppressive religious state, they show surprising leniency toward Abitha, attempting to find a middle ground between their rigid faith and compassion for a struggling widow.

Edward is a colonial farmer and Abitha's husband. He is a demure, passive man who struggles to stand up to his aggressive older brother, Wallace. He relies heavily on Abitha's assertiveness to protect their farm, though he is occasionally uncomfortable with her defiance of gender norms and her use of old folk magic.

Ansel is the local gossip and a self-appointed witch-hunter in Sutton. He is eager to find ungodly behavior among the townspeople and quickly aligns himself with Wallace to spy on Abitha. He prowls the edges of her property, looking for any evidence of folk magic or unnatural occurrences.

Forest is one of the "wildfolk," a magical familiar possessing the body of a possum with the face of a human child. He acts as a guide and subordinate to the mystical entity in the pit. He is deeply distrustful of humans and constantly pressures his master to embrace violence to protect their sacred territory from the colonists.

Creek is a member of the wildfolk, appearing as a floating fish with the face of a child. Along with the other familiars, Creek serves the entity in the pit and worries about the increasing human presence in the forest, as well as their master's forgotten past.

Sky is a wildfolk familiar appearing as a raven with a child's face. Like Forest and Creek, Sky is dedicated to serving the horned entity and protecting the magic of the woods from the encroaching Puritan settlers.

Mamunappeht is an ancient, powerful Shaman who lives in a cave adorned with animal skulls. He possesses deep knowledge of the forest's history and the true origins of the wildfolk's magic. He holds critical answers about the past that the horned entity is desperately trying to remember.

Lord Mansfield is a wealthy colonial lender. He holds the debt for Wallace's failed tobacco crops, which prompts Wallace to sell Edward's farm to him. Mansfield cares little for family disputes and gives Wallace permission to use any means necessary to remove Abitha from the land.

Helen is a young woman in the Puritan village of Sutton. Despite the strict religious rules of the community, she secretly seeks out Abitha for folk remedies and charms to aid in her romantic pursuits.

Isaac is Wallace's sixteen-year-old son. He is obedient to his father and becomes an unwitting pawn in Wallace's plot to maintain control over Edward's farm by marrying him off to his widowed aunt.

Charity is Wallace's daughter. She lives in a strict household dominated by her father's misogynistic views and is expected to perform chores and eventually provide evidence supporting her father's schemes.

Sheriff Pitkin is the local law enforcement officer in Sutton. Early in the story, he serves as the object of Abitha's unfulfilled sexual fantasies as she daydreams during church services. He is strictly loyal to the town's religious leadership.

Jesus Thunderbird is an Indigenous Pequot man living and working alongside the colonists in Connecticut. Needing money, he reluctantly agrees to help Wallace raid Abitha's exceptionally bountiful farm, despite his suspicions about Wallace's motives.

Cornelius Watson is a powerful magistrate brought in from Hartford to oversee serious trials in Sutton. He is ruthless in his pursuit of confessions and uses brutal interrogation tactics to enforce Puritan law and stamp out perceived witchcraft.

Martha is the young daughter of Reverend and Sarah Carter. Her severe bout with the measles prompts Abitha to use secret folk magic to heal her, setting off a chain of dangerous events in the community.

Garret is a local jailer in Sutton who assists Magistrate Watson in holding and punishing prisoners. He unquestioningly follows the cruel orders of his superiors.

Norton is another jailer in Sutton who works alongside Garret to enforce the physical punishments ordered by Magistrate Watson.

Captain Moore is an officer who assists the Magistrate. He harbors deep racist prejudices against the local Indigenous population and is quick to assume that any ungodly behavior is tied to them.