Lai Zhen is a 33-year-old survivalist expert who specializes in survivalist technology. Originally from Hong Kong, she spent her formative years in a refugee camp following the Fall of Hong Kong, an experience that forged her absolute focus on survival. She runs a popular online channel and frequently contributes to the survivalist forum Name The Day. She maintains a wary disposition toward personal relationships due to past betrayals and childhood trauma.

Martha Einkorn works as the executive assistant to tech billionaire Lenk Sketlish at Fantail. She grew up in an isolated religious cult led by her father, escaping at age 16 after a formative encounter in the wilderness. She maintains an anonymous online presence under the handle OneCorn on the Name The Day forum, where she shares parables about nature and the inherent corruption of modern cities. She balances her demanding corporate job with her deeply held beliefs about the natural world.

Lenk Sketlish is the founder and CEO of the social media enterprise Fantail. He struggles to remain in the present moment, constantly looking toward future opportunities and technological breakthroughs. He relies heavily on his assistant Martha for administrative and personal guidance, fascinated by her survivalist background. He invests significant wealth into preparing for a potential global apocalypse, believing his financial privilege guarantees his safety.

Zimri Nommik serves as the CEO of Anvil, a massive purchasing and distribution company deeply invested in technology. He measures success through wealth and influence, believing true safety only comes from total independence. He maintains a strained marriage with his wife Selah, frequently engaging in extramarital affairs. Like his peers, he focuses heavily on securing highly fortified bunkers to protect himself from future disasters.

Ellen Bywater is the CEO of Medlar Technologies, having replaced the company's ousted founder, Albert Dabrowski. She maintains a calm exterior but relies heavily on manipulation to secure her corporate interests. She frequently holds imaginary conversations with her deceased husband, seeking his guidance on critical matters. She struggles to understand her politically progressive youngest child, Badger, whose views actively oppose the corporate monopoly she manages.

Albert Dabrowski is the ousted founder of Medlar Technologies. Following the corporate buyout of his husband's company by Fantail and his husband's subsequent fatal heart attack, Albert experiences severe depression and posts suicidal thoughts online under the handle ArturoMegadog. His despair lessens when he connects with Martha Einkorn through the survivalist forum, finding common ground in their skepticism of modern tech monopolies.

Selah Nommik is the wife of Anvil CEO Zimri Nommik. Frustrated by her husband's infidelities and the dehumanizing practices of his corporation, she begins to seek out ways to assert her independence. She connects with Martha Einkorn at a corporate event and shares her deep dissatisfaction with the billionaire class.

Badger Bywater is the nonbinary youngest child of Medlar CEO Ellen Bywater. They produce online videos criticizing technology companies for monetizing personal data and enclosing public digital spaces. They follow Lai Zhen's survivalist advice online and arrange to meet her while in New Zealand, eager to expose the immense privilege behind their mother's fortified bunker.

Marius is a professor and hacker based in Bucharest who broadcasts his lectures to students globally. He maintains a close friendship with Lai Zhen, assisting her remotely when she is targeted by assassins. He possesses deep skepticism regarding artificial intelligence, teaching his students that computers are merely pattern-sorting tools rather than thinking entities.

Born Ralph Zimmerman, Enoch is Martha Einkorn's father and the self-appointed leader of the Enochites. He preaches against the fragmentation of modern city life, advocating for a return to nature and hunter-gatherer traditions. His extreme views incite radical followers who target individuals they perceive as threats to their ideology.

Si Packship is a technology presenter who conducts demonstrations in a covert facility built into an artificial mountain. He pitches the AUGR predictive software to the world's leading technology CEOs, offering them early warnings of global catastrophes in exchange for exorbitant fees.