Stafford is a wealthy, retired television executive living a meticulously controlled life in Hawaii. He uses his academic background in Aristotelian philosophy to distance himself from a past filled with unresolved trauma in rural Ontario. His sterile, managed existence is upended when he is unexpectedly named guardian of his deceased childhood friend's four grandchildren. The arrival of this responsibility forces him to reevaluate his strategy of emotional evasion.

Agnes is Stafford's sharp-tongued and pragmatic wife. She clings to the material wealth and social status they have acquired, fiercely defending their multiple properties to shield herself from the instability of her early childhood. Beneath her curated, volatile exterior, she maintains an abiding loyalty to her husband and serves as his anchor to the real world.

Bobby was Stafford’s childhood best friend, a boy of immense moral clarity who suffered from severe acne. He possessed an unwavering passion for absolute justice, refusing to accept moral compromises or bow to public opinion. His tragic death on a frozen lake continues to cast a long shadow over Stafford's adult life, representing a standard of virtue that Stafford feels he failed to meet.

Emmett is Stafford’s troubled older brother, fifteen years his senior. He struggled with a volatile temperament and severe alcohol addiction, leaving a trail of arrests and broken promises that fractured their family. He represents the chaotic rural tragedy that Stafford sought to escape through education and wealth.

Bobby is the twelve-year-old orphaned grandson of Stafford's childhood best friend. With pale-green eyes and red hair, he bears a striking physical and moral resemblance to his late grandfather. He acts as a stabilizing force for his siblings and forces Stafford to confront the realities of past obligations.

Donny is the sullen fourteen-year-old eldest sibling of the orphaned Shepherd children. He struggles academically and withdraws into silence to cope with his immense grief, harboring a deep desire to simply have a family and avoid loneliness.

Andy is a sweet six-year-old orphan with significant learning disabilities. He processes the loss of his parents through profound moments of sadness but remains curious about his new surroundings in Hawaii.

Lucy is the youngest of the Shepherd orphans. As a baby, she expresses her confusion and grief through tantrums as she adapts to a new life far from Canada.

Callie is Stafford and Agnes's estranged daughter, currently in her mid-twenties. She was raised in a high-pressure, elite environment in Los Angeles and previously caused a major rift in her family following a reckless arrest, leading to a profound distance from her parents.

Uncle Christy is Stafford’s uncle and his father's only surviving brother. He serves as a living repository of the Hopkins family history and secrets, demanding that Stafford take personal responsibility for the Shepherd children rather than just offering financial support.

Michael is Stafford and Emmett's deceased father. He struggled to manage his troubled older son and ultimately suffered a fatal heart attack during a stressful visit to a penitentiary.

Steven Truscott is a real-life historical figure in the novel's timeline: a wrongfully convicted fourteen-year-old boy. His case becomes a moral touchstone for the rural community, exposing the deep ideological divide between the pragmatic Stafford and the idealistic Bobby.

Roger is the shabby but persistent lawyer handling the Shepherd family estate in Napanee. He successfully tracks down Stafford to enforce the interim guardianship document left by the deceased parents.

Tammy is Roger Nuland's wife and secretary. During her school years, she mercilessly bullied the elder Bobby Shepherd for his appearance, making her a symbol of past cruelties for Stafford.

Bruce is a former professional acquaintance from Stafford's time in the Los Angeles television industry. Intoxicated and belligerent, he represents the ruthless corporate past that Stafford is trying to escape.