Fourteen-year-old Jay Berry lives on a rural farm in the Ozarks and dreams of becoming a hunter or explorer. He prefers wandering the hills and trapping small animals to traditional schooling. He wants the large cash reward for safely capturing the escaped circus monkeys so he can buy a pony and a .22 rifle.

Jay Berry's twin sister gets around using a crutch Papa made to accommodate her twisted leg. Unable to run and explore the hills, she spends her time reading, pretending to be a Red Cross nurse, and caring for injured animals. She possesses a deep respect for nature and firmly believes in local folklore.

Jay Berry's grandfather runs a local general store and frequently trades with people in the surrounding Cherokee Nation. He possesses practical knowledge about trapping and acts as Jay Berry's primary confidant and strategist in the quest to capture the escaped monkeys. He enjoys taking an active role in his grandson's adventures.

A large, intelligent chimpanzee who escaped from a wrecked circus train alongside a group of smaller monkeys. He leads the smaller monkeys and teaches them how to avoid traps. He equitably distributes stolen food among them, and his cleverness continually frustrates Jay Berry's capture attempts.

An old, loyal bluetick hound who accompanies Jay Berry on his daily routines. He participates in hunting and exploring but shows strong resistance to engaging with the aggressive monkeys. He actively attempts to evade Daisy's pretend nursing sessions.

Jay Berry and Daisy's mother works hard keeping the log house and raising chickens on their Ozark farm. She holds deep concerns about the dangers lurking in the overgrown river bottoms. She acts as a protective force and tries to keep her son safe from wild animals and hazards.

A sharecropper who moved his family from Missouri to farm a 60-acre parcel in the Ozarks. He plants corn, runs the farm's blacksmith shop, and approaches life with a calm attitude. He encourages Jay Berry's ambitions and mitigates Mama's anxieties with common sense.

Jay Berry's grandmother provides constant sustenance and care to her family. While Grandpa focuses on the physical tools needed for trapping, she quietly observes the family's emotional and physical needs. She saves money alongside Mama and Papa for medical treatments to help Daisy.

A mythical figure from local folklore who acts as a spiritual caretaker of the Ozark hills and woodland creatures. Daisy firmly believes he physically manifests near their farm. Jay Berry fears that this entity will curse his monkey-trapping efforts with bad luck.