Maya is a Black Chinese American woman who attended Princeton a decade prior to her younger sister, Naomi. Coming from a working-class background, she joined the prestigious Sterling Club and its inner Greystone Society during her college years to secure a sense of belonging and financial stability. As an adult working in Brooklyn, she strives to provide a better life for her sister while facing her own unresolved guilt about events from her junior year.

Naomi is Maya’s younger sister, also attending Princeton as a Black Chinese American student. She is an English major and a dedicated member of the Black Arts Company. Following in Maya's footsteps, she joins the Sterling Club and Greystone Society, demonstrating a courageous streak as she investigates the hidden history of these exclusive organizations.

DuPont is a celebrated behavioral economics professor at Princeton and an acclaimed wealth manager. He serves as a mentor and authority figure within the Sterling Club and the secret Greystone Society. Behind his charming public persona, he uses his institutional power and surveillance to exert control over the student body.

Lila is a member of the Sterling Club who stands out from the typical Princeton crowd with her torn jeans, Doc Martens, and bright red hair. She studies the poetry of T. S. Eliot and actively opposes the Greystone Society from within. She warns newer students about the hidden dangers of their elite social circles.

Cecily hails from a family that owns significant real estate in Manhattan. As a key figure in the Sterling Club and Greystone Society, she embodies the extreme privilege of Princeton's upper echelon. She offers vital financial and social assistance to Maya and Naomi, effectively folding them into her affluent lifestyle.

Kai is a Chinese American student and part of Maya's tight-knit friend group at Princeton. Her parents are influential investors, giving her a solid footing in the university's wealthy social circles. She approaches her education and social connections with intense pragmatism, determined to secure her place in a prestigious law career.

Daisy is Maya's close friend who initially convinces her to join the Sterling Club. Coming from a working-class background similar to Maya's, Daisy learns how to blend seamlessly into Princeton's elite spaces by wearing expensive clothes and crafting an affluent persona. As an adult, she teaches business ethics at NYU.

Amy is an ambitious student from Beijing who rooms with Naomi and Zee. She works as an online camgirl to financially support her education and holds a coveted internship at The New York Times. Driven to become an investigative journalist, she quietly researches the hidden history of the Greystone Society.

Marta is a Ukrainian housekeeper who has worked at the Sterling Club for years. Her position allows her to observe the private behaviors and hidden affairs of the club's wealthy members. Despite her vulnerable social standing, she possesses a strong moral compass and quietly watches out for the students she cares about.

Margaret is Cecily St. Clare’s sister-in-law, married to John. Living in a massive estate in Greenwich, Connecticut, she steps in to serve as Naomi's legal guardian when the young girl needs a stable home. She treats Naomi like her own daughter, using her considerable wealth to provide the teenager with cultural experiences and security.

Nate is Maya's husband, whom she first meets during her time at Princeton. Unlike Maya's other friends, he is highly critical of the Sterling Club and the Greystone Society, viewing their members as power-hungry. He offers Maya a safe harbor away from the intense social pressures of her exclusive friend group.

Liam is Naomi's on-and-off boyfriend and a fourth-generation Princeton legacy student. He is a member of the Greystone Society who originally invites Naomi to join. Burdened by grief over his younger brother's recent death, Liam struggles with emotional volatility while trying to maintain his connection with Naomi.

Ben is the treasurer of the Sterling Club and a student from a working-class background whose parents want him to become a lawyer or doctor. He shares Naomi's love for Studio Ghibli films and becomes a steady, comforting romantic presence in her life amidst her turbulent relationship with Liam.

Zee, fully named Zalikah, is Naomi and Amy's roommate at Princeton. She serves as a choreographer for the university's Black Arts Company and aspires to attend Harvard Law School. She is fiercely loyal to her friends and actively involved in their daily academic and social struggles.

Fiona is a longtime professor in Princeton's English department and serves as Naomi's thesis advisor. She possesses deep institutional knowledge about the university's history, including past scandals involving the Greystone Society, and carefully guides her students through their academic pursuits.

Alex is a wealthy student who attended the same West Coast prep school as Maya before coming to Princeton. His family's financial influence shields him from the consequences of his bad behavior, making him a primary target for Maya and her friends' retaliatory pranks.

Austin is the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Daily Princetonian. He uses his journalistic skills to help investigate the financial irregularities surrounding the Greystone Society, working closely with other students to uncover the truth.

Calum is a wealthy, wayward teenager whose family hires Maya. Instead of standard tutoring, his family pays for fraudulent test-taking and application writing to ensure his acceptance into Princeton, representing the corruption of the university's elite admissions pipeline.

John is Cecily’s older brother who lives with his wife, Margaret, on a sprawling estate in Greenwich. Together with his wife, he provides a stable and affluent home environment for Naomi during her teenage years.

Dani is Maya and Nate's five-year-old daughter. She attends an expensive summer school and serves as the center of Maya's current life, grounding her mother in the present day.

Sara is a Broadway star and Matthew DuPont's fiancée. She is fiercely protective of her private life and relationship, often running interference between her partner and those attempting to question his history.

Detective Simmons is the primary law enforcement officer assigned to investigate local incidents surrounding the Princeton campus. She approaches her cases with a methodical, cautious mindset, looking for concrete evidence before drawing conclusions.

Theodore runs a massive investment group with deep financial ties to the Greystone Society's Legacy Foundation. He is an unfaithful and cruel husband whose business practices attract the attention of journalists and federal investigators.

Pete is a member of the Sterling Club and the Greystone Society. He embodies the worst of the club's exclusivity, freely using racist slurs and participating in the targeted harassment of those who challenge the status quo.