Maren is a young woman native to the Arctic fishing village of Vardø. Having lost her fiancé, brother, and the other able-bodied men of the village to a massive squall, she must adapt to a harsh new reality without traditional male providers. She is practical and fiercely loyal to her surviving family members, though she worries about the growing social divisions in her community. Her life changes dramatically when she finds herself drawn to the commissioner's wife, a connection that brings both comfort and danger.

Ursa is a young woman from a relatively wealthy family in Bergen who is married off to a Scottish commissioner following her father's financial decline. Accustomed to having maids and a comfortable lifestyle, she is wholly unprepared for the brutal cold, continuous daylight, isolation, and rigorous domestic demands of Arctic Norway. Placed into a loveless arranged marriage, she seeks companionship and instruction from the local women of Vardø. As she spends time with Maren, she discovers a profound emotional connection that challenges her traditional upbringing.

Diinna is a Sámi woman who married into the Vardø community but remains culturally distinct from the Norwegian villagers. She practices her native religion, uses runes and poppets, and avoids the local Christian church services. As a widow raising an infant son in an increasingly suspicious and prejudiced environment, she faces intense scrutiny from the more conservative townspeople and the newly arrived religious authorities.

Kirsten is a bold and practical woman who assumes a leadership role in Vardø following the catastrophic storm. She steps into responsibilities traditionally reserved for men, organizing fishing expeditions, managing reindeer, and even wearing men's trousers to work. Her nonconformity keeps the village fed but draws the ire of traditionalists and religious authorities who view her independence as a threat to the social order.

Absalom Cornet is a Scottish commissioner appointed to oversee religious conformity and root out witchcraft in the newly governed region of Finnmark. He is a strict and ambitious man who views women as inferior and genuinely believes in the physical threat of sorcery. Disappointed by the primitive conditions of Vardø compared to city life, he demands rigid obedience and religious piety from both his wife and the villagers, using his authority to persecute those who differ from his doctrines.

Pastor Kurtsson is the local religious leader who oversees the spiritual life of the Vardø community. He relies on the traditional social hierarchy and feels unnerved by the women's newfound independence following the loss of their men. When the new commissioner arrives, the pastor serves as a translator, acting as an intermediary between the foreign authorities and the Norwegian-speaking villagers.

Toril is the most conservatively pious woman in Vardø. Deeply unsettled by the disruption of traditional gender roles and the presence of non-Christian practices, she strictly adheres to religious expectations. She harbors strong prejudices against the indigenous Sámi people and vocalizes her intense disapproval of anyone who strays from conventional behavior.

Freja is Maren's mother, an older woman deeply traumatized by the sudden loss of her son and the other village men. Consumed by grief, she struggles to maintain the household and grows increasingly bitter. Her mourning fractures her familial bonds, particularly her relationship with her Sámi daughter-in-law, whose differences she begins to view as an active threat.

Agnete is Ursa's beloved sister, remaining in their family home in Bergen. She suffers from a chronic illness that keeps her bedridden and despondent, subject to experimental treatments by local doctors. Her physical absence leaves a significant emotional void in Ursa's life after her sister relocates to the Arctic.

Lensmann Cunningham is the regional governor who holds the fiefdom over Finnmark. He is a boastful imperial official heavily invested in controlling the local population and executing suspected witches. He views the indigenous Sámi people with intense disdain and actively encourages Absalom's investigations into sorcery.

Christin is Lensmann Cunningham's wife, a charming and hospitable woman who lives comfortably within the region's upper echelons. Also part of an arranged marriage, she understands the precarious position of women in their society and offers private, cautious advice to younger wives navigating this social structure.

Captain Leiffson is a seasoned sailor who commands the vessel transporting the new commissioner to Finnmark. Having known Ursa's family during her childhood, he offers her brief moments of familiarity during her harrowing journey. He quietly questions the foreign king's authority over the northern territories.

Frau Olufsdatter is a resident of Vardø who lives in one of the village's finest houses. She becomes a target of the escalating religious panic when authorities discover native poppets in her possession, leading to her arrest under suspicion of witchcraft.

Dag was Maren's fiancé, a young fisherman from Vardø. He is one of the forty men killed when the catastrophic storm capsizes the village's boats. His death shatters Maren's expected future and remains a source of deep, unspoken grief.

Erik was Maren's brother and Diinna's husband. A local fisherman, he perished alongside the other men of Vardø during the sudden, violent squall. His loss leaves his mother bereft and his Sámi widow isolated in a suspicious community.

Erik is the infant son of Diinna and her deceased husband. Named after his father, he is unusually quiet and slow to reach developmental milestones, seemingly affected by the tense, grief-stricken environment of his divided household.