Nora is a 50-year-old advice columnist and radio star celebrated for her empathy and traditional moral guidance. Behind her saintly public persona, she harbors deep shame over abandoning her husband and daughters years ago. When a man from her past leaks illicit photographs of her, a media scandal erupts that completely shatters her career. Following a subsequent car accident, she flees to her family's old home on Summer Island to recover physically and hide from the public eye.

Ruby is a 27-year-old struggling comedian who relies on waitressing to pay her bills. She actively cultivates a messy, defensive persona and uses jokes about her absent mother as her primary comedy material. Desperate for financial success and industry recognition, she agrees to care for her injured mother at Summer Island while secretly planning to write a lucrative, damaging exposé about her for a magazine.

Eric is the eldest son of an affluent family who was ostracized by his parents after coming out as gay. Knowing he is close to dying from cancer, he decides to spend his final days at his family's estate on Summer Island. He acts as a perceptive, grounding force for the people around him, often guiding them toward honesty and reconciliation.

Dean is Eric's younger brother, a financially successful but emotionally hollow man living in California. He readily abandons his social obligations to join Eric at their childhood summer home. Returning to the island forces him to confront his lingering grief over his fractured relationship with his brother and his unresolved past with Ruby.

Caroline is Nora and Rand's eldest daughter, living in an affluent suburb of Redmond. She presents herself as a flawless, impeccably dressed stay-at-home mother, aggressively maintaining a facade of domestic perfection. Beneath the surface, she is overwhelmed by her responsibilities and terrified of getting to know her estranged mother.

Rand is Nora's former husband and the father of Caroline and Ruby. A former college athlete and Vietnam veteran, he struggled to adjust to domestic life after returning from the war. He currently lives a modest, financially strained life as a fisherman with his new, younger wife and their son.

Val is Ruby's pragmatic and blunt talent agent. He views the entertainment industry entirely through a transactional lens and actively encourages Ruby to exploit her mother's public downfall for a large magazine payout.

Jeremy is Caroline's college sweetheart and current husband. He works to support their affluent suburban lifestyle in Redmond but remains largely unaware of the deep emotional dissatisfaction Caroline hides behind her perfect homemaker facade.

Lottie is the long-time housekeeper and caretaker for the Sloan family. Having helped raise Dean and Eric, she continues to care for Eric as his health declines at the island estate.

Vince is a man from Nora's past who triggers her current crisis. By stepping forward with illicit photos taken during their brief affair years ago, he completely shatters Nora's carefully cultivated public image in an attempt to extort money.