Sheena is one of the main characters in the novel, and Sage and Bonnie’s mother. At the start of the novel, Sheena is a single, working mother who receives no support from her ex-husband and is also the sole caregiver to a father who has dementia. Sheena is often overwhelmed and frustrated by her circumstances, as she feels pulled in many directions at once. However, as soon as she receives the ransom demand, Sheena switches to a character with a singular focus and goal. She shows her intuitive nature and tolerates risk when she makes the decision to obey the ransom demands and not involve the police.

Sheena is extremely organized and diligent. She carries out all of the ransom demands and even adapts the plan, making it more foolproof than what Ted and Andy originally designed. She also displays her intuition a second time when she does alert the police to what is happening. Sheena is quick-thinking but also somewhat rash: Her decisions only play out successfully because of parallel events unfolding in Sage and Ted’s storylines. By the end of the novel, Sheena has not significantly changed, but she has become more appreciative of her life. Changes to her life circumstances, such as her father’s new medication and Sage watching Bonnie after school, also imply that she will face less stress in the future.

Jessa is one of the novel’s protagonists and plays a key role in the novel’s central conflict. At the start of the novel, Jessa is frustrated, ruminating on her past, and mostly preoccupied with reuniting with her daughter. All Jessa wants is to regain custody of Sophie, and she rationalizes choices such as lying on her job application in order to do so. As the kidnapping unfolds, Jessa initially prioritizes this goal over comforting the children entrusted to her care. She is cold and distant towards them and encourages them to be quiet and compliant. Jessa’s choices at this stage are driven by her past experiences: She believes resisting violent men only leads to worse outcomes, and she does not want to take any risks that could jeopardize reuniting with Sophie.

Jessa experiences significant growth, emerging as a resilient leader who facilitates the children’s survival. She eventually realizes that complying with the captors is not going to provide any safety and begins to actively collaborate with Sage in the escape plan. Jessa’s conversion from a passive observer to someone who encourages Sage is vital because Sage gradually becomes overwhelmed by the demands of the plan. Jessa’s suggestions and encouragement allow Sage to eventually escape and secure help. Even at the stage where Sage is gone, and it seems increasingly likely that everyone in the bunker is going to die there, Jessa encourages the children to focus on hope. Paradoxically, the crisis enables Jessa to unlock coping skills she has never accessed before. She stops living in the past and turns towards focusing on the future.

The novel ends ambiguously but on a note of optimism about Jessa’s future. It is implied that she will ultimately be celebrated for protecting and helping the children, since they unanimously confirm that she cared for them during their ordeal. Sophie also takes the first tentative steps towards reconciliation with her mother, indicating that Jessa’s goals and desires may be satisfied in the future.

Ted is an important antagonist in the novel, but he is also a complex and ambiguous character. Ted is one of the narrators, and because readers have access to his thoughts and feelings, he is a fully realized character whose doubts and motivations are made explicit.

Ted is in his early twenties. He feels frustrated by the lack of options in his life. Ted’s life was significantly impacted after he lost his job at Bright Beginnings and was subsequently arrested for drug possession and stolen property. After being tried as an adult and then serving time, Ted is unable to secure meaningful work, especially since he has not completed high school. His characterization is shaped by significant social critique of how systems and stigmatization can impact someone: Ted grew up in an underprivileged and emotionally abusive home with a mother who struggled with dependency issues. He is motivated by shame, frustration, and a desire to prove himself.

While Ted engineers the plan to abduct and ransom the children, he has strong boundaries about what he is willing to do. Ted repeatedly thinks about how he has no intention of physically harming the children and rationalizes that they will quickly recover from their ordeal. Ted has a tense dynamic with Andy: He is forced to trust and rely on his co-conspirator, but he knows that Andy is a dangerous liability.

As Andy becomes more fixated on the idea of killing Jessa, the children, or both, Ted emerges as morally complex. He repeatedly tries to stall and bargain with Andy to avoid this outcome. Ted also does not alert Andy when he realizes that Sage has escaped from the bunker. Ted displays his final moral turning point when, left alone at the quarry, he begins trying to excavate the bunker. This action is actually key to the resolution of the conflict since the police later admit that they would have lost precious time if Ted had not already started digging before they arrived. Ted thus both creates the danger the children face but then plays a significant role in rescuing them. His character arc reveals him to be a morally complex figure with both significant flaws and some redemptive potential.

Andy is a man in his early twenties who is close friends with Ted. Andy is greedy, emotional, and erratic. While Ted is the one who first introduces the plan of kidnapping the children, Andy is quickly swept up in it and is willing to go to greater lengths and take more risks to secure the ransom.

Andy repeatedly causes problems in the plan, such as when he removes his face covering while still in sight of the van, and when he turns up for the airport pickup with items from the crime still clearly visible in the vehicle. Most worryingly, Andy is much more open to violence than Ted. He repeatedly alludes to the possibility of killing Jessa or the children, as it would simplify their plan and reduce the chances of ever being caught. Andy pursues Sage with a gun and even follows her into the elder care facility, clearly intending to kill her to protect himself.

At the end of the novel, Andy is arrested. Unlike Ted, he does not experience any growth or development and is clearly demarcated as a villain.