Iris is an elderly woman and one of the last surviving members of the Chase family, a formerly wealthy industrial dynasty in Port Ticonderoga, Canada. Facing her own mortality due to a heart condition, she writes a memoir to document her family's history. In her youth, she grew up in the shadow of her family's wealth and married a wealthy competitor to help her father's failing business. She maintains a cynical, guarded exterior in the present day.

Laura is Iris's younger sister, recognized posthumously as the ostensible author of a scandalous novel. She grows up as a sensitive girl who interprets language literally and possesses an uncompromising idealism. Her eccentricities make her a misfit in high society, leading her to pursue causes like volunteering at a local soup kitchen.

Alex is a young man with socialist sympathies who supports himself by writing pulp science-fiction stories. Found as an orphan in Eastern Europe, he carries an aura of rootlessness that contrasts with the established wealth of the Chase family. He meets the Chase sisters during a period of intense labor unrest, drawing the attention of local authorities.

Richard is the president of Royal Classic Knitwear, a successful industrialist aiming to expand his wealth into a political career. He lacks sympathy for the working class and aggressively defends his business interests during the Great Depression. He leverages his financial dominance to absorb the Chase family business.

Winifred is Richard's possessive and highly stylized younger sister. She operates as her brother's chief social strategist, organizing charity balls to further his political ambitions. She treats others with patronizing condescension while maintaining a mask of superficial kindness.

Norval is the inheritor of Chase Industries, who returns from World War I traumatized after the loss of his brothers. He struggles to manage the family button factory during the Great Depression. He turns to alcohol to cope with his responsibilities and the guilt of laying off his veteran workers.

Liliana is Iris and Laura's mother, a serious woman who formerly worked as a schoolteacher for underprivileged children. She endures her husband's infidelities with quiet resignation, struggling with her own deteriorating health following the births of her daughters.

The blind assassin is a fictional character in a pulp story set on the planet Zycron. Once a child slave who lost his sight weaving intricate carpets, he now works as a hired killer in the city of Sakiel-Norn. He receives a contract to execute a sacrificial virgin but diverts from his mission.

The Girl is a mute Temple maiden groomed for sacrifice to the Goddess of the Five Moons. Rendered unable to speak by priests to prevent her from crying out during the ceremony, she awaits her fate until an assassin alters her predetermined path.

Reenie is the pragmatic primary servant of the Chase household at Avilion. She functions as a surrogate mother to Iris and Laura, dispensing practical advice and managing the estate's daily operations through periods of wealth and economic decline.

Myra is Reenie's daughter who takes on the responsibility of caring for Iris in her old age. She runs a gift shop but continuously checks on Iris, treating her with a nagging but genuine concern that Iris frequently resents.

Walter is Myra's boyfriend, a quiet man who assists in caring for elderly Iris. He handles driving duties and practical chores, acting as a steady presence in Iris's highly restricted routine.

Aimee is the daughter raised by Iris and Richard Griffen. She experiences a deeply troubled youth marked by the conflict between her guardians, eventually developing severe substance dependencies and lashing out at her family.

Sabrina is Iris's granddaughter who spends time traveling overseas. She serves as the intended audience for Iris's sprawling family memoir, representing a younger generation unburdened by the immediate trauma of the Chase family's collapse.

Callista, known as Callie, is an artist commissioned to design the Weary Soldier monument in Port Ticonderoga. Sociable and confident, she becomes a long-term fixture in Norval Chase's life, moving through upper-class social circles despite her professed political sympathies.

Benjamin is Iris and Laura's grandfather, a local figure who transformed a small mill into a massive manufacturing empire. Despite his immense financial success, he remains insecure about his social standing and struggles to relate to his formally educated children.

Adelia is the matriarch who helps design the Chase family mansion, Avilion. Coming from an elite background, she patronizes her husband and views life in Port Ticonderoga as a form of social exile.