August is a schoolteacher who recently returned to the Molotschna Colony after living for years in England. Because he is educated and considered non-threatening by the colony's hyper-masculine standards, the women ask him to transcribe their secret meetings. He struggles with deep depression, anxiety, and a feeling of aimlessness following a stint in an English prison, but he finds profound purpose in recording the women's deliberations.

Greta is one of the elders of the colony and the matriarch of the Loewen family. She helps organize the secret meetings and serves as a seasoned, steady leader alongside Agata Friesen. Despite the physical toll of her life and the brutal abuse she has survived—which forced her to wear painful false teeth—she remains a clear-headed pragmatist who pushes the women toward a concrete decision.

The eldest daughter of Greta Loewen, Mariche is an outspoken and intensely angry woman who frequently questions the other women's ideas. She is married to a violently abusive husband, which fuels her harsh skepticism. She struggles heavily with the colony's strict religious demands for forgiveness, acting as the group's most cynical and argumentative voice.

An elder in the colony and the matriarch of the Friesen family. Agata is a wise, good-natured woman who shares leadership duties with Greta, often stepping in to gently guide the women back on track when arguments break out. She relies heavily on her faith to argue for a better future, maintaining a warm sense of humor despite her rapidly failing health.

The eldest living daughter of Agata Friesen. Ona is an unmarried woman who is currently pregnant as a result of the nighttime assaults. Known in the colony as a dreamer with "nervousness," she possesses a serene, philosophic temperament that allows her to envision a radically different, egalitarian future for the women outside the bounds of their current oppressive society.

The younger daughter of Agata Friesen, Salome is a fierce, violently angry woman who refuses to silently accept the abuse inflicted upon her community. Her blistering rage is driven by a desperate need to protect her children, particularly after her three-year-old daughter was assaulted and contracted an illness. She is entirely action-oriented and views pacifism as a luxury she cannot afford.

The spiritual and practical leader of the Molotschna Colony. He leverages his religious authority to control the women, previously dismissing their terrifying assaults as the work of demons or "wild female imagination." He delivers a crushing ultimatum requiring the women to forgive their attackers immediately or face excommunication and eternal damnation.

Mejal is the younger daughter of Greta Loewen. She is less vocal than her sister Mariche but holds strong opinions and often plays devil's advocate during the discussions. She harbors a secret habit of smoking hand-rolled cigarettes and suffers from seizures, which temporarily halt the women's heated debates when they occur.

The teenage niece of Salome and Ona, and daughter of their deceased sister Mina. Neitje frequently acts in unison with her peer Autje, bringing a mixture of adolescent levity, rebellion, and vital ingenuity to the women's intense deliberations. Despite her own trauma, she retains a youthful capacity for play.

The teenage daughter of Mariche and granddaughter of Greta. Autje navigates the trauma of the colony alongside her best friend Neitje. Despite the grim circumstances of her assault and her father's physical abuse, she maintains a playful spirit and demonstrates quick-thinking bravery that actively aids the women's secret cause.

Mariche's violent husband. He interrupts the women's secret meeting in the barn, casually asserting his patriarchal dominance and using physical intimidation over his wife and daughter. He represents the everyday brutality the women are attempting to escape.

A rape survivor who, after experiencing a traumatic miscarriage, refuses to speak to most people. Formerly known as Nettie, Melvin changes his name and states he can no longer bear being a woman. He assists the meeting members by caring for their children and acting as a crucial messenger.

A woman in the colony who firmly believes the community should take no action against the attackers. She represents the faction of women who are too terrified of damnation or radical change to rebel against the colony's rigid patriarchal rules.

The farmer who owns the barn where the women are holding their secret meetings. He momentarily interrupts their intense planning but is easily placated by Agata's simple assurance that they are merely talking.

The deceased daughter of Agata and mother of Neitje. She was a young woman with a cheerful disposition who tragically took her own life after her daughter was brutally attacked in the night.

Salome's three-year-old daughter. Her brutal nighttime assault, which resulted in a sexually transmitted illness, acts as the primary catalyst for Salome's blistering rage and subsequent rebellion against the men.

Salome's fourteen-year-old son. Because he is nearing the age where boys officially join the church and are treated as adult men, his status causes deep distress for his mother, who is determined to save him from inheriting the colony's toxic masculinity.

The young son of Mariche. His minor medical emergency inadvertently alerts the women in the hayloft that the colony's men have returned early, as cherries do not grow naturally in Molotschna.