A smart, precocious 16-year-old who feels overshadowed by her sister Madge's beauty and strives to forge her own path, often rejecting traditional femininity.

A handsome young drifter searching for belonging, who seeks out his old friend Alan for support, while others around him project their assumptions about his character.

An older widow who cares for her ailing mother and offers kindness and optimism to those in need, such as Hal, whom she hires for work around her house.

A widow and single mother to Madge and Millie, who is strict yet devoted and hopes for a better future for her daughters, especially through Madge's potential marriage to Alan.

A young man from a wealthy family who dates Madge and is an old friend of Hal, but holds subtle judgments about Hal's ambitions and social class.

An unmarried school teacher renting a room in the Owens house, who wrestles with societal expectations of marriage and independence for women in a small town.

A businessman in his forties who dates Rosemary, embodying the freedom and agency granted to unmarried men, while remaining a target for marriage.