August is a young Wiradjuri woman returning to her hometown of Massacre Plains after a decade abroad. She works as a dishwasher in London, isolating herself to avoid the painful memories of her upbringing. Haunted by the unexplained disappearance of her older sister, she struggles with a profound sense of self-alienation and displacement. Her return forces her to confront her family's impending eviction and her own repressed emotions.

Poppy is a respected Wiradjuri elder who compiles a dictionary of his native language to preserve his people's heritage. A survivor of a government-sponsored Boys' Home for Indigenous children, he possesses a deeply spiritual connection to the earth and experiences visitations from his ancestors. He serves as the custodian of his family and culture, utilizing his knowledge to protect his homeland of Prosperous Farm.

Greenleaf is a Prussian-born Christian minister who establishes the Prosperous Mission in the late 19th century. Initially arriving in Australia as a child, he becomes a reverend and travels the country evangelizing. Shocked by the brutality of white Christian settlers toward Indigenous Australians, he attempts to create a haven, though his efforts are complicated by his own colonial assumptions and a severe crisis of faith.

Jedda is August's older sister who vanished at the age of eight. Before her disappearance, she lived with August and their grandparents at Prosperous Farm after their parents' arrest. She acts as a protective shield for her younger sister, attempting to guard August from the abuses of their uncle. Her absence leaves a permanent void in the Gondiwindi family.

Elsie is Poppy's wife and the matriarch of the Gondiwindi family. She faces imminent eviction from her home due to a mining development and the expiration of a 99-year government lease. A former university teacher who fought for Indigenous rights in her youth, she now carries the heavy burden of losing her husband and her ancestral home.

Eddie is a white neighbor who grew up near the Gondiwindis and comes from a wealthy, though currently declining, local family. He maintains a friendly demeanor toward August but belongs to a family actively exploiting the Gondiwindis' heritage. His economic interests directly impact the Gondiwindis' claim to their land, creating a sharp divide between his affectionate behavior and his ingrained settler privilege.

Jimmy is the son of Poppy's sister who lives with the Gondiwindi family at Prosperous Farm. Despite Poppy's attempts to protect and raise him, Jimmy brings danger into the household. He sexually abuses his young nieces when babysitting them and plays a dark, destructive role in the events that permanently fracture the family.

Mandy is an environmental activist protesting the incoming tin mine on the Gondiwindi land. She organizes resistance against the mining machinery and the police forces deployed to the site. She challenges the local community to recognize Indigenous land rights alongside environmental concerns.

Missy is one of August's aunts. She actively supports August in her desperate attempt to halt the mining operation. She accompanies August to the city museum to locate their family's artifacts, confronting the tokenism of the displays and demanding recognition for her people's history.

Nicki is August's aunt who works for the local city council. She views the situation surrounding the eviction with pragmatic pessimism and places herself at odds with August's urgent search for land rights documentation. Her position within local government places her at the intersection of bureaucratic complicity and family loyalty.

Mary is Poppy's sister and August's aunt. Separated from Poppy during their forced placement in the government residential system, she later reconnects with him. She represents the ongoing fractures caused by the Stolen Generations, maintaining a presence in the family despite the emotional distance created by their early institutionalization.

Joey is August's cousin who recently completed a sentence in a juvenile detention facility. He carries a grudge against the Falstaff family, attributing his incarceration to Eddie's actions. Despite his difficult past, he eagerly joins August in her efforts to protest the mine and locate Poppy's dictionary.

Alena is a former schoolmate of August who remained in Massacre Plains. She provides August with updates on the town's economic downturn and the polarizing nature of the incoming mine. She attempts to quietly support the Gondiwindis despite the town's general apathy.

Dr. Cross is a representative of the British Society of Ethnography. He serves as the intended audience for Reverend Greenleaf's detailed account of the atrocities committed against the Indigenous population in Massacre Plains, standing in for the distant, imperial establishment.

Wowhely is an Indigenous man who befriends Reverend Greenleaf and assists in establishing the mission. He stands as a tragic figure of the violence enacted upon the local population, suffering a fatal gunshot wound while trying to prevent white townsmen from kidnapping Indigenous women.

Julie is the local librarian in Massacre Plains who unknowingly assists Poppy in his final days. Unaware of his passing, she provides August and Missy with the crucial research materials Poppy was using, including Greenleaf's dictionary and letter.