Julilly is a twelve-year-old enslaved girl who initially lives with her mother on the Hensen plantation. She has a strong, tall build that enables her to endure grueling physical labor and long journeys on foot. Though she has limited knowledge of the outside world, she is highly observant and quickly absorbs information from her surroundings. She routinely demonstrates compassion by protecting those who are smaller or weaker than her.

Liza is a young enslaved girl on the Riley plantation in Mississippi. She suffers from a hunch-backed posture and chronic pain due to severe physical abuse from a previous escape attempt. Despite her physical disabilities, she possesses fierce emotional toughness rooted in her deep Christian faith and the lessons taught by her father.

Sims operates as the cruel overseer on the Riley plantation. He frequently targets elderly and disabled workers with his whip and enforces brutal labor conditions in the cotton fields. He acts as a constant threat to the lives and safety of the enslaved workers.

Mammy Sally is a tall, proud woman enslaved on the Hensen plantation in Virginia. She bears physical scars from past whippings but maintains a courageous and loving demeanor. She intentionally teaches her daughter about the North Star to prepare her for the harsh realities of enslavement and the possibility of separation.

Alexander Ross is a neat, orderly Canadian abolitionist who operates as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. He uses the profession of ornithology as a cover story to travel through the American South and hold secret meetings in the woods. He speaks with a fast-clipped accent and uses bird calls to communicate discreetly.

Lester is a proud and defiant young man who is sold from the Hensen plantation to the Deep South. He is unusually resourceful because he secretly learned how to read from a house slave. His literacy and natural leadership make him a primary contact for abolitionists coordinating escape efforts.

Adam is an enslaved man who is sold away from the Hensen plantation. He endures severe physical trauma during the journey to Mississippi, where he is put to work on the Riley plantation. He joins secret meetings in the woods to plan an escape.

Master Riley is the wealthy owner of a cotton plantation in Mississippi. He forces his workers to live in dilapidated huts while cultivating his rich soil, and he unwittingly aids abolitionist efforts by offering his workers as guides to a visitor.

Jeb Hensen is the sickly owner of the Virginia plantation where Julilly is born. Facing financial ruin, he decides to sell off many of his field hands to traders from the Deep South, causing the traumatic separation of families.

Jeb Brown is a free Black man who operates a crucial safe house on the Underground Railroad. He risks his own freedom to shelter fugitives and row them across the Ohio River under the cover of night.

Ella Brown is a free Black woman who assists her husband in running a safe house. She acts quickly under pressure, directing fugitives to hide on the roof when slave hunters approach the property.

Levi Coffin is a dedicated Ohio abolitionist who runs a major hub on the Underground Railroad. He routinely faces threats and searches from local law enforcement but remains steadfast in his mission to transport escaped slaves northward.

Often referred to as Aunt Katie, Catherine Coffin works tirelessly alongside her husband to clothe and shelter escaped slaves. She acts decisively during house searches, hiding fugitives in her own bed and maintaining a polite facade for suspicious authorities.

Sheriff Donnelly is a local law enforcement officer in Ohio who actively assists slave hunters. He aggressively questions known abolitionists and searches their properties in pursuit of escaped slaves.

Ben is an enslaved man who is sold away from Virginia. He is forced to run in chains behind a moving wagon, enduring severe leg wounds and the exhaustion of wading through deep cypress swamps.

Ezra Wilson is a formerly enslaved Black man who provides transportation and guidance to newly arrived escapees. He offers pragmatic advice about the realities of living as a free person, preparing newcomers for the hardships they will still face.

Missy Hensen is the wife of Jeb Hensen, residing on the Virginia plantation where Julilly and her mother are initially enslaved.

Old John is a coach driver on the Hensen plantation. He uses his position to gather intelligence about the financial state of the plantation, quickly warning others about the risk of being sold.

Willie is a two-year-old boy enslaved on the Hensen plantation. He is suddenly and traumatically separated from his mother when a slave trader purchases him for transport to the Deep South.

Lily Brown is an enslaved woman on the Hensen plantation who suffers the traumatic loss of her young son when a slave trader purchases him and drives him away.

Mr. Fox is a white man who employs a free Black boy. He approaches the slave trader's wagon to inquire about the chained men and attempts to offer them water, earning the fury of the slave trader.