Aanakwad is a temperamental Anishinaabeg woman whose name means "cloud," reflecting her volatile moods. After having a child with her new lover, she sinks into a deep depression and neglects her household. Her fierce desire to leave her marriage propels the primary events of the local legend.

This figure encompasses the primary narrative perspectives of the text. As a storyteller, he shares a historical community legend while also recounting his own personal experiences growing up in an abusive household. Within the legend he tells, Aanakwad's five-year-old son witnesses his family fracture and is deeply traumatized by his mother's departure.

Aanakwad's nine-year-old daughter is a responsible, tenderhearted child who possesses strong maternal instincts. When her mother sinks into a deep depression, she dutifully takes over the household chores and cares for her infant sibling. She is guided by a strong internal sense of familial duty and consistently prioritizes her family's needs.

An unnamed man characterized by his deep love for his children and his eventual painful acceptance of his wife's desires. Despite fearing his wife's unpredictable moods, he is understanding enough to let her go to another man. He protects his remaining son and bears the heavy emotional weight of the family's division.

The father of the narrator, Doris, and Raymond. He struggles with severe alcohol addiction following the death of his wife. He frequently subjects his children to physical abuse using belts, boards, and branches, creating a hostile home environment that forces the children to hide in the woods.

Doris is one of the narrator's younger twin siblings. Growing up in a volatile household marked by addiction and physical discipline, she relies heavily on her brothers for protection. To survive their difficult home environment, she helps build a small campsite in the woods where the children can spend entire nights in hiding.

Raymond is the narrator's younger twin brother, growing up in a difficult home affected by the historical traumas of their community. Along with his siblings, he routinely hides household items used for discipline and retreats to a woodland campsite for safety during turbulent nights.

The unnamed man who captures Aanakwad's heart. Though he does not appear directly in the early events, his presence and the infant he fathers with Aanakwad act as the catalyst for her deep depression and eventual decision to leave her husband.

The uncle of Aanakwad's new romantic partner. He serves as an emissary, arriving at the family home with a horse-drawn wagon to collect Aanakwad and her infant so they can safely travel to begin a new life.