Ellen is a young former schoolteacher living as a farmer's wife on the Canadian prairie during the Great Depression. Raised with more financial stability than she currently experiences, she finds herself isolated and exhausted by five years of agricultural failure. She maintains an unflinching grasp of her family's bleak reality and desperately wishes to leave the farm for the safety of the town.

Paul is a 30-year-old farmer characterized by his stoic resolve and fierce loyalty to his land. He stubbornly clings to his vision of independence and future success, and he refuses to abandon his agrarian life even as the soil depletes and the drought worsens. His determination to provide a legacy for his family often blinds him to the immediate physical and emotional needs of his wife.

The Infant is the young, unnamed son of Paul and Ellen. He serves as the emotional center of his parents' ongoing conflict over their living conditions. His presence magnifies the stakes of the dust storm, making his parents' rural isolation physically dangerous.

Bess is a bay mare living on Paul and Ellen's farm. She waits out the violent dust storm in the tense silence of the stable. She offers a moment of quiet connection for her owner away from the arguments in the house.

Prince is a 20-year-old gelding kept in the farm's stable. His ribs and hips visibly show due to the severe drought and lack of resources. His poor physical condition reflects the overarching devastation of the homestead.