Jack is an almost 60-year-old doctor who runs the local surgery, Avalon House, in the rural village of Faha. Widowed and secretly grieving an unrequited romance, he carries a deep melancholy that makes it difficult for him to communicate with his eldest daughter. Despite his quiet nature and personal sorrows, he is deeply dedicated to his patients and holds a place of high respect in his conservative Catholic community.

Ronnie is a 29-year-old unmarried woman who lives with her father and assists him at his medical practice. She finds comfort in the predictable routine of rural life, spending her free time reading literature and writing short stories in secret. Although her married sister frequently urges her to find a husband and leave Faha, Ronnie maintains a composed exterior and insists she prefers her solitary, bookish existence over the uncertainty of romance.

Jude is a 12-year-old boy living on a struggling farm with his family. He carries a heavy emotional burden, as his father unfairly blames him for a tragic accident that killed his older brother. Constantly worrying about his family's finances and his father's drinking habits, Jude wanders his village seeking a sense of purpose to prove that his own survival was meaningful.

Noelle is a newborn infant left alone in the cold outside the Faha church. Believed to be dead upon discovery, she is revived by the local doctor and requires feeding with a specialized syringe. Her sudden, unexplained presence in a conservative Catholic village forces the local residents to reevaluate their strict routines and capacities for unexpected love.

Father Tom is the elderly Canon of the local Catholic church and a central fixture in the Faha community. He is beginning to show distinct signs of memory loss and disorientation. His public struggles prompt concern among his parishioners and spark debates within the parish leadership about his fitness to continue leading the congregation.

Father Coffey is the younger curate at the Faha parish. Pious and strict regarding Catholic tradition, he frequently monitors Father Tom's declining health. He advocates for committing the elder priest to a psychiatric hospital, believing it is the practical solution for the parish's long-term stability.

Noel is the grandson of Mossie and Aine Crowe who immigrated to the United States four years prior. In his youth, he shared a close friendship and a mutual love of books with Ronnie Troy, though their connection was interrupted when Jack Troy sent him away. He represents lost possibilities and the outside world for the village residents who remember him.

Pat is a farmer who struggles to provide for his family in rural Ireland. He frequently squanders his earnings on gambling and alcohol, creating a heavy burden for his children. He harbors deep resentment over the accidental death of his eldest son, unfairly directing his anger and theological blame toward his surviving son.

Charlotte is Jack Troy's younger daughter who successfully left the village of Faha to marry and live in Limerick. She views her hometown as a prison and frequently visits only to pressure her older sister into finding a husband and moving away from their father's house.

Mossie is a local Faha resident and the grandfather of Noel Crowe. He spends his days caring for his wife Aine after she suffers several strokes, remaining blindly optimistic about her steadily declining condition.

Aine is Mossie's wife and Noel's grandmother. Having suffered multiple strokes, she is largely unresponsive and bedridden, though her illness becomes a central concern for the local doctor and her devoted husband.