Brian is a 15-year-old boy who previously survived 54 days alone in the Canadian woods following a plane crash. This ordeal, which he refers to as "The Time," has profoundly matured him, giving him a deep appreciation for everyday staples like food and warmth, as well as heightened observation skills. Though initially reluctant to return to the wilderness, he agrees to go back to teach survival instructors the psychological realities of emergency survival.

Derek is a government psychologist who works for a survival school that trains pilots and soldiers. Thin and lacking practical outdoor coordination, he initially views survival training as a game rather than a life-or-death situation. He accompanies Brian into the woods to study the psychological processes behind successful survival, willingly placing himself in the position of a student despite being the adult.

Brian's mother is a hardworking single parent managing life after a recent divorce. Her relationship with Brian has deepened significantly since his initial rescue, shifting into a mutual understanding uncommon between a typical teenager and parent. She initially resists the idea of Brian returning to the woods, viewing the government proposal as insane.

Brian's father is recently divorced from Brian's mother and no longer lives at the family home. He represents the unchanged, difficult realities of Brian's home life that continue to exist despite Brian's intense personal transformation in the wilderness.

Deborah is Brian's new girlfriend in the city. Her presence in his life represents his attempt to settle back into a normal teenage routine after surviving his harrowing time in the wilderness and dealing with the ensuing media attention.

The pilot operates the bush plane that drops Brian and Derek at a lake one hundred miles east of Brian's original crash site. His capable handling of the aircraft contrasts with the deceased pilot from Brian's first trauma, though his departure leaves the two entirely isolated.