Nina is a 24-year-old graduate student who works as a nanny for a wealthy New York family. She attempts to manage her anxiety through her academic study of Dutch vanitas paintings, which focus on mortality. Stranded in the Wyoming mountains after a plane crash, she faces starvation, isolation, and freezing temperatures while rationing limited supplies.

Anton is a famous figure of the American West, known for his role in the Greyrock Four. While dime novels portray him as an infallible gunslinger, the real man is aging, terminally ill, and burdened by regret. He returns to Sunrise in 1902 seeking to locate an estranged friend and confront his past choices.

Preacher is an intelligent medical doctor and former seminarian. He harbors intense political anger regarding the United States government's violation of treaties with Indigenous nations. His uncompromising principles frequently put him at odds with the self-interested people around him.

Colin is a local historian and the head of the Salt Draw Historical Society. He directs an annual historical play celebrating the town's frontier myths. He curates an intellectual persona but struggles with deep insecurity when interacting with aggressively masculine residents in his rural community.

Louise is a persistent writer and researcher from Denver working on a book about Anton Vargas. In the 2003 timeline, she arrives in Sunrise to investigate historical inconsistencies. Her abandoned manuscript and research binder later provide crucial survival tools for Nina in the wilderness.

Ben is Nina's boyfriend, a man who harbors a romanticized view of the American West. His behavior toward Nina is frequently dismissive and controlling. After their plane goes down in the mountains, his exact fate remains unknown to Nina as she struggles to survive alone.

Fred is a pragmatic lawman and a member of the Greyrock Four. As the son of a Shoshone woman, his personal background gives him a grounded perspective on the region's history. He serves as a reliable historian whose interviews contradict the romanticized fictions written about his group.

Sadie is an independent telegraph operator whose quick thinking helps save her group during an outlaw ambush. Despite her critical role in the events, popular fictional accounts of the shootout erase her contributions to elevate the male figures involved.

John is a wealthy collector of Indigenous artifacts who builds his estate over a historical hunting site. He justifies his hoarding of sacred objects by claiming a spiritual superiority, viewing the items as aesthetic trophies rather than living cultural heritage.

Bob is a belligerent resident of the modern-day town. His attempts to assert dominance involve desecrating local wildlife and intimidating others in his community, actions that soon introduce grim consequences.

Freenie is Colin's pregnant twin sister. She is morally clear-sighted and confrontational, refusing to ignore the ugly behavior of the local men and acting as a sharp critic of her brother's passivity.

Mira is a local woman with Indigenous heritage who serves as a moral compass for Colin. Her quiet disappointment in his failure to stand up against crude behavior forces him to reckon with his complicity in the town's toxic culture.

Daggart is a dime novelist who prioritizes dramatic effect over historical accuracy. He manufactures a sanitized version of the frontier, freely altering facts and reassigning quotes to create a more marketable hero.

Jules is a young employee at John Daisy's estate. He goes missing after stealing a sacred broken arrow from his wealthy boss, sparking a frantic search and inciting a dangerous mob.

Mrs. Abadie is a terrified mother who attempts to protect her son from a wealthy collector's wrath. She enlists Anton Vargas to return a stolen artifact in hopes of securing her family's safety.