Raised entirely off the grid by survivalist parents, Leigh lacks a legal identity and relies on extreme survival tactics to move through the world. After escaping a deadly prison bus crash, she seizes the chance to start over, adopting the alias "Leigh Smith." Cautious and fiercely guarded, she takes a job at a rural Alabama flower farm, where she must decide whether to continue running or to put down roots and connect with others.

Jackson is the tall, powerfully built owner of the Flower Farm in Gee's Bend, Alabama. Having grown up in the foster care system after losing his mother, he has built his farm as a sanctuary for fellow survivors. He is an ambitious visionary, working to launch a flower farm cooperative to revitalize his economically challenged community while offering patience and safety to those he employs.

Leigh's parents are a destructive force in her early life. Her father is a volatile, paranoid man who isolates his family from society and drills extreme survival tactics into his daughters. Her mother is a tragic, desperate figure who barters her physical attractiveness for survival, eventually becoming complicit in the endangerment of her own children due to blinding jealousy and instability.

Lila is Leigh's younger sister, a focal point of Leigh's deepest grief and guilt. Growing up in their parents' dangerous, off-the-grid household, Lila retained a softer, more trusting nature and a profound love for flowers. Leigh's overwhelming instinct to shield Lila from their family's dysfunction and from predatory men drives much of her enduring trauma.

Deacon Ridley is a smug, hypocritical man who uses his veneer of religious authority to exploit the Wildes family's extreme poverty. He initially preys on Leigh's mother's desperation for basic necessities, but his predatory gaze soon shifts toward the young, vulnerable Lila, making him a central figure in Leigh's traumatic past.

Luke is a young, boisterous white farmhand who came to the Flower Farm to escape an abusive stepfather. He provides comic relief and warmth to the farm's tight-knit community. Beneath his humorous exterior—exemplified by his signature "scrambled pancakes"—lies a fierce loyalty and protective rage, particularly when it comes to defending those he cares about.

Known affectionately as Tibb, Franklin is a Creole man from Louisiana who serves as a spiritual guide within the farm's found family. Having met Jackson in an abusive foster home, he possesses a quiet wisdom forged through shared trauma. He acts as a calming presence, using practices like yoga and meditation to help himself and others process their chaotic thoughts and heal.

Carly is Jackson's on-and-off ex-girlfriend who lives near the Flower Farm. Driven by insecurity, she is highly possessive of Jackson and views Leigh as a direct threat to the future she desires. Her passive-aggressive behavior and attempts to assert social dominance mirror the destructive female jealousy Leigh witnessed in her own childhood.

Walt is an elderly campground owner in Alabama who provides Leigh with her first moment of safety following her escape. Recognizing she is in trouble, he offers her cash work cleaning cabins and a safe place to sleep without prying into her background. His unquestioning kindness acts as a crucial bridge toward her eventual healing.

Officer Madison is a guard in the South Carolina correctional system who shows Leigh rare humanity and mercy during her five-year imprisonment. During the chaotic crash of the transport bus, Madison prioritizes Leigh's survival over her own, leaving a lasting impression on Leigh's understanding of compassion.

Mrs. Byrd is a kind, elderly neighbor from Leigh's childhood in South Carolina. She serves as one of the only safe maternal figures in Leigh's early life, teaching her how to cook and offering a brief respite from the volatility and neglect of the Wildes household.

Heather is Luke's sister who lives in the nearby town of Camden. She maintains a close relationship with her brother and faces her own struggles with an abusive partner, prompting Luke's fierce, protective rage on her behalf.

Mr. Tidwell is a local landowner in the community. Jackson specifically appeals to him when pitching the flower farm cooperative, hoping to convince skeptical locals to join the business venture to revitalize the struggling area.

Benny is Carly Sutterfield's young son. He accompanies his mother on her visits to the farm, caught up in the tension she brings to the environment.

Robert is Lila's boyfriend from before the tragedy that claimed her life. For Leigh, Robert's existence provides context for the ordinary joy and affection her sister managed to experience despite their harsh upbringing.