Cullen Post is a lawyer and Episcopal priest working for Guardian Ministries in Savannah, Georgia. Following a mental breakdown during his time as a public defender, he entered the seminary and later found a calling exonerating wrongfully convicted prisoners. He lives a spartan lifestyle, sleeping in a small room above the office, and spends most of his time driving across the South to investigate cases. He frequently wears his clerical collar to command respect and access in hostile environments.

Quincy Miller is a 51-year-old Black man who has spent 22 years in a Florida prison after being wrongfully convicted of murdering a lawyer. He was tried by an almost entirely white jury and convicted based on questionable forensic evidence and dubious witness testimony. He feels abandoned by the legal system and harbors intense fear of the corrupt figures who originally framed him.

Bradley Pfitzner is the former sheriff of Seabrook, Florida, who managed the crime scene and subsequent investigation of Keith Russo's murder. He retired to a lavish condominium in the Florida Keys, maintaining a lifestyle that far exceeds his public servant pension. Post suspects Pfitzner fabricated evidence to frame Quincy Miller on behalf of organized crime elements.

Duke Russell is a young white man sitting on death row in Alabama for the rape and murder of a local woman named Emily Broone. His conviction relies heavily on discredited bite-mark analysis and hair comparisons. He waits anxiously for Post to secure a stay of execution and run modern DNA tests that could clear his name.

Chad Falwright is a small-town Alabama prosecutor preparing for reelection. He engineered Duke Russell's death row conviction and fiercely resists any efforts by Guardian Ministries to introduce modern DNA testing, viewing the appeal as a direct threat to his political record.

Tyler Townsend is Quincy Miller's original defense attorney. Following Quincy's conviction, Tyler faced severe threats and intimidation that caused him to abandon the legal profession entirely. He relocated to South Florida to work in real estate development with his father-in-law and is highly reluctant to revisit the details of the Seabrook murder case.

Dr. Kyle Benderschmidt is a leading forensic science expert at Virginia Commonwealth University. Guardian Ministries pays a substantial fee for his objective analysis of the physical evidence used against Quincy Miller. He frequently testifies to debunk the methods of less qualified prosecution witnesses.

Carrie Holland Pruitt is a key eyewitness from Quincy Miller's trial who testified she saw a Black man fleeing the murder scene. During the original investigation, she struggled with drug addiction and dated a local sheriff's deputy. She relocated to Tennessee and is extremely hesitant to discuss the circumstances surrounding her past testimony with Guardian Ministries.

Francois Tatum, commonly called Frankie, is a freelance investigator working for Guardian Ministries. He was the first innocent person the organization successfully exonerated, creating a deep bond of loyalty between him and Post. He handles the grittier, legally questionable investigative tasks that require a subtle touch, keeping the lawyers insulated from direct risk.

Vicki Gourley is the founder of Guardian Ministries. A devout Christian, she established the nonprofit after serving on a jury that wrongfully sentenced a young man to die. She handles the heavy financial burdens of the organization and frequently worries about Post's grueling travel schedule and lack of personal life.

Mazy Ruffin serves as the director of litigation and the primary legal strategist for Guardian Ministries. She manages the heavy paperwork and filings required to navigate the appellate court system, working closely with Post to strategize their exoneration attempts.

Keith Russo was a 37-year-old attorney in Seabrook, Florida, who was fatally shot at his desk 22 years ago. He handled cases for dangerous clients, and his unsolved murder serves as the inciting incident for Quincy Miller's wrongful imprisonment.

Diana Russo is the widow of the murdered attorney Keith Russo. Following his death, she collected a substantial life insurance payout and pointed investigators toward Quincy Miller as a potential suspect before relocating to the Caribbean.

June Walker is Quincy Miller's ex-wife. During their bitter divorce proceedings decades ago, she testified against him in his murder trial, offering damaging statements regarding physical evidence. She lives quietly with her new husband and avoids engaging with Guardian Ministries.

Zeke Huffey is a career criminal and jailhouse informant who provided testimony claiming Quincy Miller boasted about killing Keith Russo. Still incarcerated, he views his past lies purely as leverage to negotiate better conditions for himself.

Mark Carter is the man Post believes actually committed the crimes for which Duke Russell sits on death row. He lives freely while another man faces execution, prompting Post's team to discreetly track his movements to secure a DNA sample.

Kenny Taft was a Black sheriff's deputy in Seabrook who died violently shortly after Quincy Miller's arrest. He harbored suspicions regarding the legitimacy of the investigation against Quincy, leading to persistent rumors that his death during a shootout was not accidental.

Bruce Gilmer, formerly known as Brace, is an ex-Seabrook deputy who partnered with Kenny Taft. He survived the ambush that claimed Kenny's life and subsequently fled the state, maintaining dark suspicions about the internal corruption that set up the attack.

Paul Norwood is a former homicide detective who built a lucrative career acting as a "bloodstain expert" in trials, despite lacking formal scientific training. His unscientific claims were instrumental in securing the conviction against Quincy Miller.

Agnes Nolton is an FBI special agent who investigates organized crime connections within the Florida correctional system. She utilizes information gathered by Guardian Ministries to target dirty guards and violent gangs operating behind bars.

Adam Stone is a corrupt guard at Garvin Correctional Institute. He accepts bribes to ignore or facilitate violence among inmates, making him a prime target for federal investigators looking to root out institutional corruption.

Skip DeLuca is an ex-convict and a senior figure in the Aryan Deacons gang. He acts as a middleman, taking money from outside criminal interests to orchestrate targeted violence inside the prison system.

Mickey Mercado is a convicted felon with dual citizenship who takes a quiet but direct interest in Quincy Miller's legal proceedings. He coordinates with dangerous organizations to ensure Quincy's case does not progress.

Wink Castle is the current sheriff of Seabrook, having taken over after Bradley Pfitzner's retirement. He is highly reluctant to revisit decades-old police work or acknowledge the possibility of past departmental corruption.

Otis Walker is June Walker's current husband. He is protective of his wife and highly hesitant to allow investigators from Guardian Ministries to pull her back into the trauma of her past marriage and the subsequent murder trial.

Marvis is Quincy Miller's brother. He has remained intensely loyal to Quincy throughout the decades of his incarceration, visiting him monthly and acting as his primary family support system during medical emergencies.

Nash Cooley is a criminal defense lawyer from Miami who attends Quincy's hearing despite having no official role in the case. His presence raises immediate suspicions for Post regarding who is funding opposition to Quincy's release.

Ramon Vasquez is a semi-retired senior manager within the Saltillo Cartel. He maintains a long-term relationship with Diana Russo and operates out of the Caribbean, staying insulated from direct legal consequences in the United States.

Lonnie is a former sheriff's deputy in Seabrook. At the time of Keith Russo's murder, he dated Carrie Holland and used his position to help leverage her drug charges in exchange for a witness statement beneficial to the prosecution.

Patrick McCutcheon is the current prosecutor for Seabrook. Like Sheriff Castle, he is initially resistant to reopening a closed murder case but agrees to review physical evidence when pressed by Guardian Ministries.

Bill Cannon is a renowned tort attorney brought in by Guardian Ministries to handle the financial litigation surrounding Quincy Miller's mistreatment. He files massive lawsuits against the institutions responsible for keeping Quincy locked away.