Chanie is an 11-year-old Ojibwe boy who was forcibly removed from his family in Ogoki Post and placed in a residential school. Renamed Charlie by the white teachers, he pretends to struggle with English as a quiet act of resistance against his oppressors. He walks with flat feet and suffers from a persistent lung infection that makes his breathing labored. Driven by a desperate longing for his family, he decides to flee the abusive environment.

Two unnamed schoolmates of Chanie who decide to escape the residential school alongside him. They are faster and physically healthier than Chanie but remain mindful of him, leaving broken twigs and chewed bark to guide his path through the forest. The trauma of the residential school has impacted their cultural understanding, instilling foreign feelings of shame regarding physical comfort and connection.

A pale-skinned white teacher at the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School. He enforces strict and cruel discipline, frequently beating students, washing their mouths out with soap for speaking Ojibwe, and denying them basic necessities like food and water. He represents the violent, systematic oppression of the residential school system and inflicts deep trauma on the children in his care.

The unnamed uncle of the two brothers who lives in a small cabin about 30 kilometers from the school. He is a generous man who struggles to feed his own family during the lean autumn months. While he assumes responsibility for his nephews, he recognizes the deep emotional brokenness in Chanie and worries about his ability to care for the boy with his severely limited resources.

The wife of the uncle who helps manage their meager household on the edge of the forest. She works with her husband to stretch their limited food supply, accepting the scrapings from the cooking pot so the children can eat more.

The young daughter of the uncle and aunt. Chanie finds her very pretty and offers her a small mouse skull he found in the woods as a quiet gesture of friendship.

Forest spirits from Ojibwe tradition that inhabit the bodies of various animals, including crows, owls, hummingbirds, mice, pike, spiders, and lynx. They closely observe Chanie's journey through the wilderness. As spiritual guardians, they acknowledge Chanie by his true Ojibwe name and recognize his deep connection to the natural world.

Chanie's father, who lives in Ogoki Post. Though physically distant from the residential school, he remains a constant presence in Chanie's mind. Chanie frequently relies on his father's past survival lessons and cultural teachings to endure the harsh reality of his current situation.