Joe is a 56-year-old Mi'kmaq First Nation man reflecting on his life from his sickbed. Raised in Nova Scotia, his childhood is defined by summers spent picking berries in Maine with his tightly knit family. He struggles with severe emotional pain following the early disappearance of his younger sister. Despite his physical decline, he holds onto the hope that his sister is still alive.

Introduced through dual narratives, Ruthie is a young First Nations girl who disappears from a berry field in Maine, leaving her Mi'kmaq family devastated. Concurrently, Norma is a young girl raised in a strict, highly protective household in Maine. Norma is troubled by vivid, recurring dreams of an unrecognized family and struggles with inexplicable physical dissimilarities between herself and her parents. She is highly intelligent and eventually pursues a career in teaching.

Lenore is Norma's mother, who raises her daughter in a tightly controlled, fearful household. Plagued by extreme anxiety, headaches, and a nervous disposition, she lives in constant dread and exhibits intense overprotectiveness. Her restrictive parenting style and reliance on alcohol create a strained environment for her growing child.

Aunt June is Lenore's independent, career-oriented sister who lives alone in Boston. She smokes, drinks freely, and serves as a more relatable, outgoing adult figure for Norma. Despite her outward independence, she remains fiercely loyal to her sister and consistently redirects Norma's questions about the family's past.

The matriarch of the Mi'kmaq family is a devoutly Catholic woman whose entire identity is tied to caregiving. Having survived the cultural erasure of her own youth, she focuses entirely on her husband and children. When tragedy strikes the family in the berry fields, she refuses to surrender hope and carefully preserves keepsakes.

Lewis is the hardworking patriarch of the Mi'kmaq family. He guides hunting trips and picks berries to support his large household. He fiercely protects his children from the overreach of the Canadian government, taking strong action to keep them out of the abusive residential school system.

Mae is Joe's pragmatic and strong-willed sister. A survivor of the residential school system, she eventually returns home to help care for her ailing brother and aging mother. She possesses a wild streak in her youth but grows into a firm support system for her fractured family, offering Joe tough love.

Charlie is Joe's older brother and a vital part of the family's working dynamic during their summers in Maine. He is physically involved in the family's labor and highly protective of his friends. His involvement in an altercation near the berry fields deeply impacts the family.

Ben is Joe and Ruthie's brother, who also survives time in the Canadian residential school system. As he grows older, he channels his experiences into activism, joining the American Indian Movement in Boston. He remains observant and deeply loyal to his siblings.

Alice is a therapist recommended by Aunt June to help Norma manage her nighttime distress. She encourages Norma to separate her own feelings from her mother's oppressive anxiety and helps the young girl manage her social development.

Mark is Norma's college boyfriend and eventual husband. He helps draw Norma out of her introverted shell during their early years together, introducing her to the social life of the city. He is socially adept but struggles to understand the depth of Norma's recurring grief during their marriage.

Mr. Ellis is the white landowner who employs the Mi'kmaq workers during the summer berry harvest in Maine. He represents the systemic prejudice of the era, viewing his workers primarily as labor and singling out lighter-skinned children.

Cora is a woman from a devoutly religious family who meets Joe during a period of relative stability in his life. She attempts to build a life with him, but their marriage faces severe strain due to his heavy emotional burdens and reliance on alcohol.

Leah is Joe's adult daughter. She has a distant relationship with her father due to his long periods of isolation and wandering during her childhood, though she visits him during his final illness.

Norma's father and a local judge. He provides a laid-back, somewhat detached presence in her childhood, contrasting with Lenore's intense anxiety. He occasionally attempts to run interference between his daughter and his highly protective wife.

Archie is a local man who gets into a physical altercation with Charlie at a carnival near the berry fields. His actions trigger a lasting impact on Joe's family.

Frankie is a friend of the family whom Charlie steps in to defend during an incident at the carnival.