June is an aspiring white author living in Washington, DC, whose debut novel flopped upon release. She feels entirely stuck in her career and believes the publishing industry unfairly prioritizes diverse voices over her own. Following Athena's sudden death during a pancake-eating contest, June takes possession of Athena's unpublished manuscript about the Chinese Labour Corps, choosing to edit and publish it under the ambiguous pen name Juniper Song.

Athena is a widely celebrated Chinese American author who attended Yale with June. She achieves massive commercial and critical success with ease, securing lucrative publishing and film deals. She is highly protective of her creative process, drafting her novels by hand in Moleskine notebooks, and draws heavily from real-world events and personal conversations to fuel her fiction.

Candice is a Korean American editorial assistant working at Eden Press. She advocates for cultural responsibility in publishing and expresses valid concerns about a white author writing a historically specific narrative about Chinese laborers. Her insistence on authentic representation puts her directly in the path of June's defensive ego.

Geoffrey is a white author whose relationship with Athena ended after his debut sci-fi novel flopped and drew criticism for racist themes. He struggles to regain relevance in the publishing world following his public disgrace. Like June, he holds a bitter view of Athena, believing she exploited his personal vulnerabilities for her stories.

Daniella is an editor at Eden Press responsible for guiding June's book to publication. She prioritizes broad marketability over historical nuance, advising June to soften racist white characters and remove Chinese cultural specifics to make the text more accessible to a general audience.

Mrs. Liu is Athena's grieving mother. Because she remains disconnected from the intricate details of the publishing industry and Athena's private drafting habits, she relies on June's advice regarding how to handle her daughter's estate and personal notebooks.

Brett is June's literary agent. After years of paying minimal attention to her stagnant career, he quickly springs into action upon reading The Last Front. He orchestrates a massive bidding war and manages her public relations strategy.

Emily works on the marketing team at Eden Press. She helps engineer the decision to publish June under the ambiguous pen name Juniper Song to present optimal credentials for the book's subject matter.

Jessica is a member of the Eden Press marketing team. Alongside Emily, she works to cultivate June's social media presence and visual branding to ensure maximum commercial appeal while avoiding potential cultural backlash.

Marnie is a high-profile author at Eden Press who invites June into a group chat called Eden's Angels. She provides June with an echo chamber of support, often dismissing valid literary criticism by insulting the reviewers.

Jen is an established Eden Press author and a member of the Eden's Angels group chat. She encourages June to stay offline and ignore detractors, insulating her from negative reviews.

Emmy is an emerging author writing a coming-of-age novel about a queer Korean American girl in the Midwest. June takes her on as a mentee in a performative attempt to prove she is more supportive of marginalized writers than Athena was.

Diana is an author who shares a panel with June at a Virginia literary festival. She publicly challenges June's presence on the panel and openly questions the origins of June's sudden success.

Justin is a film producer who pitches a heavily altered movie adaptation of The Last Front. He suggests expanding white roles and eliminating Chinese accents to appeal to a broader American audience.

Harvey is a producer at Greenhouse Productions interested in optioning June's novel. He actively pushes to minimize the cultural specificity of the Chinese laborers in favor of hiring recognizable white movie stars.

Rory is June's sister. She works a stable, salaried job with benefits, serving as the practical standard of success their mother uses to constantly criticize June's unpredictable writing career.

Tom is June's brother-in-law who works as an IT technician. June seeks out his technical expertise when attempting to trace the IP addresses of her online detractors.

June's mother lives in Philadelphia and maintains a highly critical view of June's aspirations to be an author. She actively pressures June to abandon publishing and find a conventional, salaried job like her sister.

Peggy is the coordinator for the youth workshop where June briefly teaches. She prioritizes the emotional well-being of the young writers and confronts June over her harsh teaching methods.

Dr. Gaily is the therapist June saw during her time at Yale following a traumatic college experience. June attempts to reach out to her years later when her mental health deteriorates under intense public scrutiny.