Rye is a 16-year-old orphaned laborer trying to secure steady work in Spokane, Washington. Having lost his parents and other siblings, he relies heavily on his older brother for family connection but remains highly skeptical of union activities and strikes. He desires a quiet, stable life and dreams of buying a small plot of land to build a shared home. Despite his lack of formal education, he possesses a strong moral compass and deep loyalty to those around him.

Gig is Rye's charismatic older brother and a passionate member of the Industrial Workers of the World. He is a voracious reader who treasures his incomplete set of Tolstoy's War and Peace. Despite his high ideals regarding wealth sharing and labor rights, he struggles with alcohol dependency when faced with severe hardship and systemic injustice.

Early is a mysterious, fiercely independent drifter who aligns himself with anarchist philosophies rather than organized labor. He frequently acts as an intellectual foil to Gig, debating political theory and morality. He operates with a cynical worldview, believing that tearing down authority entirely is more effective than negotiating for better wages.

Elizabeth is a 19-year-old married suffragist and passionate labor organizer. She faces constant underestimation from male union leaders due to her youth, gender, and pregnancy. Armed with powerful rhetoric, she travels the Pacific Northwest to raise funds and awareness for incarcerated workers, demonstrating genuine solidarity with the oppressed.

Lemuel is a wealthy mining baron who represents the peak of Spokane's capitalist elite. He views human relationships through a purely transactional lens, believing his money can buy loyalty or silence. He actively works against the union protests to protect his financial interests, employing various agents to handle the unrest.

Jules is an elderly Salish man and a steady friend to Rye. Forced to abandon his native language and culture in his youth to survive, he has endured a lifetime of systemic discrimination. He works various jobs around Spokane and is swept up into the violent free speech riots despite his non-combative nature.

Operating under the stage name Ursula the Great, Margaret Anne Burns is a successful burlesque dancer. Pragmatic and ambitious, she navigates the predatory environment of Spokane's wealthy elite to secure her financial independence. She shows genuine affection for Gig and extends care to those struggling around her.

John Sullivan serves as the Acting Police Chief of Spokane. He operates under heavy pressure to protect the interests of the city's wealthy elite and employment agencies. He oversees the brutal crackdown on the IWW protests, utilizing harsh tactics to break the spirits of the incarcerated union members.

Fred is a skilled young lawyer who offers his services pro bono to the incarcerated IWW union members. He is sharp in the courtroom, aggressively challenging the city prosecutors on civil rights violations and clerical errors.

Del is a private detective and hitman hired by Lemuel Brand to manage the escalating union dispute. Professional and heavily experienced, he is quick to see through Lem's amateur attempts at secrecy and manipulation.

Hub Clegg is a brutal Spokane police officer who thrives on intimidating incarcerated individuals. He employs violent tactics against union members in the city jail, repeatedly assaulting them to extract information and break their resolve.

Willard serves as a bodyguard and investigator for Lemuel Brand. He executes Lem's errands around Spokane and monitors the people caught in Lem's web of influence, maintaining a quiet, observant presence.

Mrs. Ricci is an Italian immigrant living in Spokane who rents out her porch to the Dolan brothers. With her own sons out of the house, she treats Rye and Gig with warm, maternal care and offers them a sense of domestic stability.

Gemma is a woman living in Spokane who takes in her ailing relative, Jules, after his harsh treatment in the city jail. She provides him with care and comfort during his final days while protecting her family's heritage.

Dom is Gemma's husband and a local machinist. He maintains an amicable relationship with Jules and eventually crosses paths with Rye through the local machine shop.

Alfred is a young police officer whose mysterious murder in a wealthy neighborhood prompts a massive, violent police crackdown against the unhoused and working-class populations of Spokane.

James Walsh is a prominent leader of the IWW labor union in Spokane. He actively organizes the free speech demonstrations and faces direct physical assault from the police during his soapbox speeches.

Also known as the First Ursula, Edith is an aging performer who mentors her successor before seeking to collect on a promise of property from a former wealthy lover.

Jack is a miner and union organizer married to Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. His frequent absence leaves his wife to handle speaking tours, hostile environments, and organizational challenges on her own.

Halla is a Finnish sawyer swept up in the union arrests. He befriends Jules in prison, attempting to secure medical help for him and providing comfort during the harsh incarceration.

Carol Anne is an isolated young woman suffering from domestic abuse who receives unexpected financial aid and advice from Gurley to escape her situation.

Al is a union leader in Wallace who guides Gurley's speaking tour. Bearing extensive physical scars and prosthetics from an anarchist bomb, his true loyalties become questionable during a stop at a rough work camp.

Charlie is the union secretary who faces legal persecution alongside Gurley. He stands trial for conspiracy during the city's crackdown on the IWW.

Olen is a newspaper editor who collaborates with Gurley to publish articles covering the mistreatment of prisoners in Spokane to garner public sympathy.