Mary is a stubborn and highly practical young woman who develops a hardened exterior following her traumatic childhood during the Great Depression. Seeking a sense of permanence, she dedicates herself to becoming indispensable at her Aunt Fritzie's butcher shop in Argus, North Dakota. Finding conventional religion unhelpful, she turns her attention toward the supernatural, reading palms and using tarot cards to make sense of her precarious world.

Karl is Mary's sensitive, restless brother who becomes separated from her on their first night in Argus. Deeply wounded by their mother's flight, he struggles to find a permanent home and bounces between an orphanage, a seminary, and a life on the road as an itinerant salesman. His vulnerability makes him prone to seeking care from others, while his loneliness prevents him from establishing lasting roots.

Celestine is a tall, physically imposing woman of Ojibwe and white descent who operates the butcher shop alongside Mary. Highly observant and grounded in reality, she serves as a practical counterbalance to Mary's supernatural fascinations and Sita's theatricality. She guards her independence fiercely, refusing to conform to the traditional gender expectations of her community.

Sita is Mary's beautiful, fashion-conscious cousin who struggles with deep feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. Raised in the comfort of her parents' home in Argus, she dreams of a glamorous life and briefly moves to Fargo to work as a department store model. She possesses a highly fragile psychological state, often seeking external validation while harboring resentment toward Mary for usurping her place in the family and social circle.

Wallace is an ambitious and civic-minded entrepreneur responsible for bringing the lucrative sugar beet industry to Argus. Secretly gay and fearful of societal judgment, he hides his true self behind a fabricated story of a deceased sweetheart while throwing his energy into town improvement projects. He is generous but deeply lonely, searching for genuine connection within a community he works tirelessly to elevate.

Wallacette, universally known as Dot, is the stubborn, fearless, and fiercely independent daughter of Celestine and Karl. Growing up surrounded by overprotective adults who project their own childhood traumas onto her, she becomes demanding and frequently clashes with her peers at school. Despite her difficult behavior, she serves as the emotional center of gravity for her fragmented extended family.

Adelaide is the tempestuous and overwhelmed mother of Mary, Karl, and Jude. Driven to desperation by the economic devastation of the Great Depression, she impulsively abandons her family at a charity picnic to fly away with a stunt pilot. Her abrupt departure casts a long shadow over her children's lives.

Jude is Mary and Karl's youngest brother, given away out of desperation during the Great Depression. Raised in Minneapolis by an adoptive family who hides his true origins, he grows up completely unaware of his traumatic start in life and pursues a devout path into the Catholic priesthood.

Russell is Celestine's half-brother, a highly decorated Indigenous war veteran bearing severe scars from World War II and Korea. The physical and psychological toll of his military service leaves him withdrawn, prompting him to retreat to a solitary life of ice fishing and drinking on the reservation.

Fritzie is Adelaide's practical, hard-working sister who owns the local butcher shop with her husband. She takes Mary in without hesitation, offering the young girl a stable foundation while firmly washing her hands of Adelaide's irresponsibility.

Pete is Fritzie's husband and Sita's father. He is a generally kind man who feels deep sympathy for Mary's orphaned state, an instinct that inadvertently sparks his own daughter's lifelong resentment.

Louis is Sita's second husband, a scientific and practical man who moves into her large house in Blue Mound. He is emotionally distant, preferring to examine insects and specimens rather than navigate his wife's complex emotional needs.

Jimmy is Sita's boorish first husband who operates a nautical-themed restaurant. His insensitivity to Sita's refinement, coupled with his family's crude behavior, ensures their marriage is short-lived.

Catherine is Jude's adoptive mother. After her husband brings the abandoned infant home, she embraces the child as a divine rescue, raising him devotedly while hiding the truth of his origins.

Martin is the man who takes the unnamed infant brother from Mary's arms during a desperate moment. Instead of returning the child, he brings the baby back to his grieving wife to raise as their own.

The Great Omar is a daring stunt pilot who offers Adelaide an impromptu escape from her miserable life. He proves to be a possessive partner, deliberately hiding mail to ensure she cannot reconnect with the children she left behind.

Mr. Ober is Adelaide's wealthy, married lover and the father of her children. His sudden death in an accident leaves Adelaide completely destitute, setting the novel's central tragedies in motion.

Fleur is an Indigenous woman who rescues Karl after his disastrous leap from a moving train. She serves as a fierce, protective presence on the reservation, commanding respect from both her family and outsiders.

Eli is Celestine's half-brother, an Indigenous man who lives a quiet life largely confined to the reservation. He prefers isolation and avoids the complications of town life in Argus.