Alex is a young girl growing up in 1950s America. The society around her strictly enforces traditional gender roles and actively suppresses the existence of dragons. She learns early on to keep silent, ask no questions, and accept the confusion that surrounds her family dynamics. Harboring a deep curiosity but constrained by societal expectations, she struggles to understand the unspoken truths of her household.

Beatrice is the bright, energetic daughter of Marla and George. Born into a tense family dynamic, she becomes a central figure in Alex's life. Beatrice possesses a fierce personality, showing an early, unabashed fascination with dragons. This attitude contrasts sharply with the adults' insistence on silence and denial. Her rebellious nature challenges the restrictive environment of her upbringing.

Bertha is Alex's mother, a brilliant mathematician who set aside her education to become a traditional homemaker. She suffers from cancer and rigidly adheres to the societal expectations of a 1950s housewife, choosing to silently endure her circumstances rather than express her inner frustrations. She spends her free time creating complex knots. This practice reflects her desire to keep her family tightly bound together and secure.

Marla is Bertha's sister and an auto mechanic who openly defies the restrictive gender norms of her era. She wears slacks and takes up space without apology. She is fiercely independent and constantly challenges her sister's adherence to traditional domestic life. She is one of the few adults who acknowledges Alex directly, choosing to call her by her preferred name rather than the formal Alexandra.

Mrs. Helen Gyzinska is a wealthy widow, philanthropist, and librarian. She harbors a keen intellect and a dedication to education, using her resources and community connections to support young scholars. She acts as a quiet force against the censorship of knowledge in a highly restricted society, pushing back against the erasure of history.

Dr. Gantz is a dedicated scholar and former chief of medicine who studies the spontaneous transformations occurring across the country. Through his work with the Wyvern Research Collective, he attempts to archive facts and data that government organizations actively suppress. He risks his own career and personal freedom to preserve historical truth against institutional erasure.

Mr. Green is Alex's father, a bank employee who strictly enforces patriarchal values within his home. He believes education is useless for women and defines his familial duty solely by his financial contributions. He remains emotionally distant and frequently absent from his household.

Sonja is a young girl with blonde hair, fair skin, and hazel eyes who becomes a close childhood companion to Alex. Their connection offers Alex a rare space of shared joy and understanding outside the strict confines of the Green household. Their bond quickly draws the scrutiny and disapproval of the adults around them.

George is Marla's husband, a man who struggles with alcohol addiction. He represents the traditional marital expectations that Marla attempts to conform to. Their relationship is fraught with tension, lack of mutual understanding, and frequent arguments.

Miss Olson works as a secretary for Mr. Green and is the focal point of his extended absences from the family home. She exists on the periphery of the Green family's carefully maintained public image, representing the double standards of the patriarchal society they inhabit.

Edith is a close companion of Marla. She writes intimately to Marla about her personal struggles and yearnings for freedom. Her correspondence provides a glimpse into the hidden lives of women who are deeply dissatisfied with the restrictive roles forced upon them by their husbands and communities.

Mr. Alphonse is the principal of the local school. He prefers to speak only with male heads of households, enforcing the strict rules and conservative expectations of the educational system. He shows little patience for anything that disrupts his orderly view of the world.

Marya is a woman whose historical records exist prior to the larger mass events of 1955. She documents her deeply unhappy marriage to an abusive husband and pushes back against the notion that motherhood makes suffering tolerable. She seeks a form of transcendence to escape her painful reality.