Dorothy is the strict superintendent of a women’s reform facility in North Carolina. Deeply committed to the government's mandate to reeducate "promiscuous" women, she views her authoritarian methods as necessary for public safety. She hides severe burn scars on her legs beneath black stockings, carrying personal trauma that fuels her deep suspicion of independent women.

Stella is a 15-year-old girl sent to the State Industrial Farm Colony following an involuntary medical procedure. Having endured years of sexual abuse from her father, she internalizes the blame for her situation and desperately seeks a fresh start. She possesses an excellent memory and quickly attempts to gain favor with the facility's staff, hoping to find the safety she lacked at home.

Ruth is a 24-year-old unmarried woman forced into the Colony after a rough, mandated medical examination. Independent and self-reliant, she immediately recognizes the facility's reform agenda as a corrupt system meant to punish autonomous women. She refuses to accept the shameful labels placed upon her and quietly resists the grueling physical labor and forced medical treatments.

Ethel serves as a housemother and primary disciplinarian at the Colony. She actively enjoys inflicting physical and emotional punishments on the residents under her control. Bolstered by her political connections to the facility's board, she operates with a sense of impunity that frequently puts her at odds with the superintendent.

Nurse Crawford administers medical treatments to the residents at the Colony. Coming from a poor background, she relates to the incarcerated women and understands the desperation that leads to their confinement. She quietly demonstrates genuine compassion, occasionally sneaking food to those suffering from extreme punishments.

Lucy is an incarcerated resident and former sex worker who immediately recognizes the true nature of the Colony. She acts as an informal guide for new arrivals, teaching them how to survive the punishing labor and warning them about the staff's cruelty. She maintains outside legal connections and quietly works to expose the facility's abuses.

Frances is an unpredictable resident known among the staff and inmates for her erratic behavior. While the administration dismisses her as lacking intelligence, she occasionally displays flashes of sharp lucidity and reading comprehension. She actively resists the facility's control methods, often resulting in severe disciplinary action.

Alice is Stella's chronically ill mother who rarely leaves her bed. Relying entirely on her daughter to maintain the household, she responds to Stella's pregnancy with immediate condemnation rather than recognizing her husband's culpability.

Cordell is Stella's father, a man who exploits his wife's illness to perpetrate years of sexual abuse against his own daughter. He evades all consequences for his actions by allowing the local authorities to send Stella away to a reform facility.

Sheriff Wright is a local law enforcement officer who enforces the government's mandate against unmarried women. He actively patrols the streets to detain women he arbitrarily deems a threat to public health, threatening them with jail time if they resist medical transport.

Dr. Tyndall is a government physician tasked with inspecting detained women. He holds deeply prejudiced views about female independence, equating a woman's refusal to marry with depravity and disease.

Dr. Graham is an arrogant physician at the Colony who subjects the residents to harsh, often experimental medical treatments. He dismisses any concerns regarding the women's well-being and relies on his status as a male doctor to overrule the superintendent's objections.

Dr. Woodall chairs the board overseeing the Colony. He leverages his administrative power to protect his personal friends on the staff, consistently dismissing formal complaints about employee misconduct and inmate abuse.

Stanley is a lawyer and outside contact for the incarcerated women. Investigating the facility's abuses, he attempts to gather evidence of civil rights violations by quietly interviewing the residents during their outdoor work details.

Mrs. Foster is Ruth's mother. Though initially concerned for her daughter's welfare, she is highly susceptible to the authority of the facility's staff and struggles to overcome her fear of the social stigma surrounding unmarried women.

Opal is an incarcerated resident bearing visible scars from both her abusive husband and her own suicide attempts. Given the choice between a mental asylum and the Colony by her husband, she serves as a stark example of how the facility functions as a dumping ground for vulnerable women.

Sally is a resident who was committed to the Colony after missing a single day of work at the mill due to illness. She bonds with the other kitchen workers, finding unexpected solidarity in their shared exploitation.