Meredith is a 40-year-old mother of two college-aged daughters who manages the family's apple orchard, Belye Nochi, in Washington State. She is deeply responsible, prioritizing family obligations and burying her own needs to maintain order. Her inability to express vulnerability creates a physical and emotional distance in her marriage, while she carries a lifelong burden of trying to earn her emotionally cold mother's approval.

Nina is Meredith's younger sister, an award-winning photojournalist who travels the world documenting tragedies and female strength. She uses her camera lens to keep the world at an emotional distance, avoiding the domestic life she associates with her mother's coldness. Fiercely independent, she hesitates to commit to her long-term boyfriend and uses her career to avoid family gatherings.

Anya is the 80-year-old matriarch of the Whitson family, a Russian immigrant known for her striking white hair and icy demeanor. She maintains a beautiful winter garden at their estate, Belye Nochi, where she often sits alone in the cold. She rarely displays affection toward her daughters, preferring instead to knit, cook traditional Russian foods, or occasionally tell a cryptic fairy tale about a peasant girl in a Snow Kingdom.

Evan is the warm, loving patriarch of the Whitson family and the founder of the Belye Nochi apple orchard. He acts as the emotional glue holding his fragmented family together, softening his wife's rigid demeanor and offering unconditional love to his daughters. His failing heart forces his daughters to return home and confront their fractured family dynamics.

Jeff is Meredith's childhood sweetheart and husband. He works in a busy office and shares a home just uphill from the family orchard. Despite his genuine love for Meredith, he grows increasingly frustrated by her emotional walls and tendency to shut him out.

Danny is a handsome Irish war correspondent and Nina's long-term boyfriend. He understands the demands of Nina's high-stakes journalism career and respects her independence. He clearly desires a deeper commitment, but patiently navigates Nina's hesitation to settle down.

Vera is the protagonist of the recurring fairy tale Anya tells her family. She is a young woman coming of age in a kingdom overtaken by the evil Black Knight, whose dark forces are tearing families apart. Her story involves finding brief moments of beauty and romance amid a landscape of fear and political oppression.

Sasha is the prince in Anya's fairy tale. He meets Vera on the Enchanted Bridge and provides a source of hope and love during the dark times in the Snow Kingdom. He represents light and romance in a heavily oppressed world.

Jillian is Meredith and Jeff's 19-year-old eldest daughter. Currently away at college, she represents the fulfilling, active motherhood that Meredith dedicated herself to, leaving an empty space in the household when she leaves.

Maddy is Meredith and Jeff's 18-year-old youngest daughter, also attending college. Like her sister, she maintains a warm relationship with her grandparents and is deeply saddened by her grandfather's declining health.

Dr. Burns is a long-time family friend and physician in the Wenatchee Valley. He provides medical care and practical advice to the Whitson family during their times of crisis, evaluating Anya when she begins showing signs of distress.

Vasily is a professor of Russian studies at the University of Alaska in Anchorage. He previously reached out to Anya regarding her past in Russia, prompting Meredith to investigate his connection to her mother's hidden history.

Maksim is Vasily's son who continues his father's academic projects. He assists in collecting eyewitness accounts of historical events, serving as a bridge between the Whitson women and his father's research.

Mama is Vera's mother in the fairy tale. She is fearful of the Black Knight's forces and begs her husband to comply with their demands to keep the family safe. When tragedy strikes, she forces her daughters to suppress their emotions as a survival tactic.

Petyr is Vera's father in the fairy tale. A principled man, he refuses to bow to the demands of the dark forces taking over the Snow Kingdom, a decision that brings severe consequences to his family.

Olga is Vera's younger sister in the fairy tale. She relies on Vera for comfort and stories as their world grows increasingly dark and dangerous under the Black Knight's rule.

Baba is Vera's grandmother in the fairy tale. She shares a tense, emotionally distant relationship with her daughter, living in a cramped single-room apartment where she houses her displaced family.

Stacey is a welcoming woman in her sixties who works at a Russian restaurant in Alaska. Recognizing Anya's Russian accent, she offers the women special treatment and traditional delicacies, providing a warm connection to Anya's heritage.

Sylvie is Nina's editor. She coordinates Nina's demanding international photojournalism assignments and pushes her to produce her best work, even when Nina is struggling personally.