An unnamed Indigenous American man in his late teens or early twenties who claims to feel an emotional distance from everyone and everything. He drifts through life without clear direction, currently focused on reclaiming stolen belongings from his ex-girlfriend. He is deeply shaped by the early tragic deaths of his father and older brother, leading to a profound apathy that serves as a protective barrier against further grief.

The capable and practical mother of the narrator. She has kept the family ranch prosperous through significant hardships and the loss of both her husband and oldest son. She is Catholic and maintains a stoic exterior, often appearing emotionally reserved or bitter to her son while she quietly bears her own griefs and manages the household.

A crafty forty-seven-year-old man who recently married Teresa, thereby becoming a prosperous cattleman and half-owner of her land. He is generally cheerful and takes his new proprietorship seriously, letting his beard grow and frequently discussing the challenges of ownership, though he can be interpersonally clumsy and quick to temper.

The narrator's ancient, nearly blind grandmother. A survivor of a harsh historical era and extreme starvation, she harbors deep prejudices against the Cree people and remains a silent but potent presence in the home, representing the family's Indigenous history and past traumas.

The narrator's late father who froze to death ten years prior to the events of the novel. He was known for his mechanical prowess and his restless spirit. He often spent time drinking and socializing with white men in town rather than staying at the ranch, and he frequently mapped out grand hunting trips that he never actually executed.

The narrator's Cree ex-girlfriend who departs the ranch after stealing his gun and electric razor. Described by others as a young woman who prefers the excitement of town and bars to domestic life on the reservation, she never fully integrated into the narrator's family and was deeply disliked by his grandmother.

The narrator's older brother who died at the age of fourteen following a collision with a car while herding cattle. He is remembered as an enthusiastic and capable boy whose tragic death fundamentally altered the trajectory of the narrator's emotional life.

A blind old man who lives a few miles up the river from the family ranch. He claims to converse with the local deer and holds deep, historical knowledge about the old days, sharing stories about the narrator's grandmother's youth and the harsh winters of the past.

An eccentric white man from New York who claims to have torn up his plane ticket to the Middle East, abandoned his wife at the airport, and driven to Montana. He insists he is fleeing the FBI and attempts to enlist the narrator in his chaotic plans to cross the border.

A woman working at a bar in Malta who has a cryptic, tense interaction with the airplane man. She carries sadness over a deceased sister and quietly navigates the unwanted, objectifying attention of the male patrons in her workplace.

Agnes's brother, whom the narrator seeks out for information about her whereabouts. He is opportunistic, violent, and fiercely protective of his sister, willing to trick and assault the narrator to serve his own ends.

A hired hand who works temporarily for Lame Bull and the narrator. Descended from a line of notorious, hard-working cowboys, he relies entirely on his family's reputation but proves to be evasive and lazy, leading to a physical altercation with his employer.

A family friend who visits the ranch to drink and trade stories. He enjoys socializing with Lame Bull, and his visit inadvertently prompts the narrator's quest to track down Agnes after he mentions spotting her in town.

A woman from Havre whom the narrator meets while drinking. Frustrated by her inability to secure a secretarial job despite her training, she reluctantly gives the narrator a ride and allows him to sleep on her couch, where she later firmly establishes boundaries against his advances.

A woman who approaches the narrator after he is beaten in the street. She spends the night with him in a hotel room, where she endures his detached, objectifying, and aggressive behavior as he wrestles with his emotional numbness.

An aging horse belonging to the narrator's family. A former wild creature broken for ranch work, Bird is deeply intertwined with the narrator's past, assisting in present chores while serving as a living link to the narrator's most painful childhood memories.