Georgia is a twenty-four-year-old psychology student living in London. Her parents sent her away from their home in Okatie, South Carolina, at the age of fifteen after a traumatic incident involving her sister's boyfriend. Returning for her father's funeral, she uses her therapeutic training to observe her hostile family while confronting buried emotional pain. She is introspective, fiercely protective of her brother Oliver, and hesitant to reveal the truth about her past.

Sam is an attractive, emotionally intelligent Australian who owns coffee shops in Los Angeles. As a recovering addict, he accompanies his sponsee, Oliver, to South Carolina to offer support during the funeral. He quickly forms an intuitive connection with Georgia, offering her protection from her family's verbal attacks. He carries his own past trauma, which gives him a quiet strength and maturity.

Oliver is Georgia's brother and former childhood best friend. His parents sent him to a military school in Los Angeles as a teenager because of their anti-gay prejudice, leading him to experience feelings of isolation and alcohol addiction. He is currently in recovery and depends heavily on his sponsor, Sam. Returning to Okatie leaves him vulnerable, as he desperately seeks acceptance while dealing with his family's continued hostility.

Maryanne is Georgia's estranged sister, who holds the reputation of the "good daughter" in the Carter family. She harbors intense hostility toward Georgia, frequently insulting her and blaming her for events that occurred ten years prior. Highly concerned with her social standing and popularity, Maryanne refuses to acknowledge the reality of the past, instead casting herself as a victim to maintain her parents' favor.

Tennyson is the eldest of the Carter siblings, who benefited from his parents' favoritism. Although he and Georgia were never close growing up, he tries to connect with her upon her return, showing a desire to make amends for his past absence. He acts as a mediator during family disputes and seeks to establish healthier adult relationships with both Georgia and Oliver.

Margaret is the matriarch of the Carter family. She is deeply judgmental and emotionally distant from Georgia and Oliver, openly favoring her other two children. She staunchly defends Maryanne in family disputes and was complicit in the decision to send Georgia to England a decade ago. She prioritizes the family's public image over the well-being of her outcasted children.

Will is the recently deceased patriarch of the Carter family. Known for being demanding and dictatorial, he banished his children Georgia and Oliver when they failed to meet his conservative expectations. His unexpected death from a heart attack forces the family back together, and the surprising terms of his last will reveal that he kept significant secrets from his wife and children.

Violet is Will Carter's sister and aunt to the Carter siblings. Unlike her brother, she is empathetic and supportive, checking in on Georgia and Oliver during the funeral proceedings. She offers a listening ear without the judgment characteristic of the rest of the family and harbors a deeper understanding of Will's hidden life.

Beckett is Maryanne's former high school boyfriend who now owns a local coffee shop called Stomp in Okatie. He is the central figure in the trauma that caused Georgia's exile ten years ago. He maintains a facade of innocence while continuing to boundary-push and harass Georgia when she returns to town.

Alexis is a man residing in New Orleans who is mysteriously named as a beneficiary in Will Carter's will. The sudden discovery that Will left a lake house to him prompts the Carter siblings to travel to Louisiana to investigate his connection to their late father's past.

Savannah is Tennyson's current girlfriend. She is friendly toward Georgia and tries to handle the tense Carter family dynamics. She acts as a supportive partner to Tennyson, despite having a strained relationship with Maryanne, who frequently gossips about her.

Maya is a young woman living at the New Orleans address associated with Alexis Beauchêne. She greets the Carter siblings when they arrive seeking answers and assures them that their father was a good person, contrasting sharply with their own experiences.

Hattie is Georgia's bisexual roommate in London. She represents the comfortable, chosen family and accepting life Georgia has built for herself away from her conservative hometown.

Brick is the deceased grandfather of the Carter siblings. Known for his intense prejudice, he left a substantial inheritance to his grandchildren but pointedly excluded Oliver, setting a painful precedent of anti-gay bias that influenced the rest of the family.

Jason is Maryanne's husband. He aligns with her social ambitions and partakes in the family's tense gatherings, occasionally attempting to get on the good side of relatives when financial inheritances are involved.

Anatole is Georgia's ex-boyfriend. A former contract worker for the military, his dangerous lifestyle and emotional unavailability ultimately led to their breakup, though the relationship deeply affected Georgia's views on intimacy.