Samuel is an adjunct literature professor in his thirties who suffers from crippling writer's block. Once hailed as a promising young author, he accepted a massive advance for a novel he has spent a decade failing to start. Abandoned by his mother when he was eleven, he lives a highly isolated life, retreating into the virtual world of *World of Elfscape* to experience the competence and success he lacks in reality.

A sixty-something elementary school teacher's aide whose sudden, violent protest makes her the target of a national media frenzy. Long before she became known as the "Packer Attacker," she was a restless teenager in rural Iowa who temporarily fled her restrictive upbringing to experience the intense political and social upheaval of 1968 Chicago. She carries a heavy burden of guilt regarding her decision to abandon her family.

A former student activist from 1968 Chicago who maintains her dedication to civic duty decades later. Living quietly with her life partner along Lake Michigan, she focuses her enduring energy on the physically demanding task of eradicating invasive mustard plants from the local dunes.

An accomplished violinist living in New York and an active participant in the Occupy Wall Street movement. As the object of Samuel's long-standing childhood infatuation, she appears flawless to him, though she actually harbors intense emotional vulnerabilities and struggles with her own personal griefs.

A bitter and vindictive figure who currently serves as a judge and holds a long-standing grudge against Faye. In 1968, he was a member of the Chicago police force's "Red Squad," tasked with aggressively monitoring and harassing student activists during the convention riots.

Bethany's twin brother and Samuel's charismatic but intimidating childhood friend. Known for being expelled from a prestigious Catholic academy, he possesses a troubling predilection for war games and theatrical violence, masking deep psychological wounds from his past.

Samuel's father and Faye's husband, an executive for an agro-industrial company specializing in frozen meals. In his youth, he was a mild-mannered farm boy who dreamed of veterinary science and offered Faye a conventional, predictable life that she ultimately ran away from.

Faye's father and Samuel's grandfather, a first-generation Norwegian immigrant who worked as a chemical engineer at the ChemStar factory. He carries a gloomy disposition shaped by his rural upbringing in Hammerfest and the strict, superstitious folklore of his childhood.

Samuel's demanding New York publisher who offered him a generous advance years ago. Frustrated by Samuel's writer's block, he pushes him to write a vicious, tell-all memoir about his mother to capitalize on her sudden national notoriety.

The brash, cocky editor-in-chief of a radical underground newspaper in 1968 Chicago. He projects an aura of passionate sincerity and revolutionary zeal, quickly drawing Faye into the dizzying world of student protests and anti-establishment defiance.

An expert video gamer who serves as a game master in the *World of Elfscape*. Struggling with obesity and a messy personal life following his wife's departure, he uses gaming to filter reality, viewing people through the lens of enemies, obstacles, puzzles, or traps.

A shallow and stubbornly uncooperative student in Samuel's literature class. Representative of a disengaged generation, she refuses to acknowledge her academic dishonesty and instead fabricates lies and manipulation to protect her standing at the university.

A controversial, alt-right Wyoming governor and presidential candidate. His incendiary, flame-throwing political rhetoric makes him a polarizing figure and the target of Faye's rock-throwing protest.

Based on the historical Beat poet, he acts as a charismatic spiritual counselor to the underground student activists in 1968. He encourages his students to expand their minds and liberate themselves through poetry and Eastern philosophy.

A young woman residing in Hammerfest, Norway, who shares stories about the region's history and its past residents. She provides Faye with surprising historical information about Frank's earlier life in Europe.

A successful Wall Street financier and Bethany's fiancé. He represents the wealthy financial establishment that the Occupy Wall Street movement is actively protesting against.