Anders is a young, physically fit personal trainer at a local, highly masculinized gym. He struggles with feelings of alienation and identity, struggling to accept the sudden and dramatic change in his appearance and how society perceives him. Though popular at his job and affectionately called "doc" by his older clients, he harbors deep insecurities and initially reacts to his transformation with rage and fear.

Oona is a youthful yoga instructor who recently dropped out of college and returned to her childhood home. She moved back to care for her mother following her brother's tragic death from a substance use disorder. Less settled than Anders, she dabbled in acting and start-ups before teaching yoga, and she attempts to process her grief while observing the unraveling of her mother's worldview.

Oona's mother is a grieving woman who retreats into the internet following the death of her son. She spends massive amounts of time online, immersing herself in white supremacist rhetoric and conspiracy theories. Driven by paranoia and a sense of losing her societal privilege, she becomes a "prepper," stockpiling goods and anticipating a violent societal collapse.

Anders's father is a former construction foreman suffering from a terminal illness. He is a traditionally masculine figure whose physical strength commands respect, though he possesses a capacity for violence and holds racist beliefs. Estranged from his son, his deteriorating health and the societal chaos force the two into closer proximity.

The omniscient, third-person narrator observes the characters and the unfolding societal crisis. Though non-diegetic, the narrator occasionally breaks the fourth wall to address the reader directly. The voice conveys the ambiguity and confusion of the characters' world through sprawling, run-on sentences and juxtaposed observations.

The unnamed cleaning guy is the sole person of color at the gym before the transformations begin. He performs manual labor surrounded by older men trying to stave off aging. He serves as a mirror for Anders's shifting worldview, representing the superficial nature of Anders's prior interactions with people of color.

Anders's boss runs the old-fashioned, "black iron" gym. He is a menacing, hyper-masculine figure who enters a "berserker zone" before lifting weights. He is deeply hostile to the societal changes occurring around them, projecting an exclusionary attitude that aligns with traditional white masculinity.

Oona's brother is a deceased figure whose absence heavily impacts the narrative. He died from a substance use disorder before the events of the novel, leaving his mother and sister to suffer a profound sense of unfairness and unresolved grief.