Jane Withersteen
Jane is the protagonist of the story and resembles the opposite of typical female stereotypes. She is low to the ground and built for business, and acts freely. As a devout Mormon, she criticizes contradictory actions of the Church and is not afraid to speak her mind. Despite being brave, she is vulnerable to the attacks and harassment of the ill-wishing men in the novel. This book revolves around the struggle she has within herself, between her religion and her love.
Jim Lassiter
Lassiter is the typical Western cowboy. He lives a simple life out in the West and commits every action based on a sacred set of principles he holds. While he enjoys using weapons and is fairly talented at doing so, this horseback rider should not be mistaken as a violent man, and only uses his guns for justice. Tall and burly, he is out for revenge after what the Mormons did to his long-lost sister. On his journey he falls in love with Jane and will do anything to protect her.
Bishop Dyer
He is one of the high-ranking officials in the Mormon church. Bishop Dyer is used to people following what he says and hates insubordination. A squat, baldish man, he loathes Jane for her criticism of the church.
Elder Tull
This is the despicable man at the top of the Mormon hierarchy. He wants to marry Jane because of the vast wealth Jane's late father left behind for her but she refuses, which infuriates him. Elder Tull mistreats Jane and sends men to attack her and Lassiter, driving them from the town and robbing them. He is an egotistical man driven by greed and will do anything to keep power.
Milly Erne
Milly Erne is the long-lost sister of Lassiter who he is so desperate to find and avenge. Milly Erne was kidnapped and forcibly taken from her husband many years ago by the Mormons and forced to be essentially a slave in their society. A small and friendly woman, she gave birth to a child while in captivity but that child was taken from her. Depressed and distraught, she died in Jane's arms on a cattle ranch in Cottonwoods, Utah, where she was later buried. Jane and Milly were very close friends, a situation that helps augment the relationship between Lassiter and Jane after Lassiter finds her gravestone two decades after her abduction.
Oldring
Oldring is a minor character in the book. He is a rustler, also known as a cattle thief, and just as his name suggests, he stole Jane's herd. Oldring is shot dead later on in the book.
Judkins
Jane's non-Mormon cattle ranch hand, who assists her with taking care of the herds. While he was watching one of the herds, Oldring and other rustler stole the cattle and shoot him in the shoulder.
Bern Venters
Bern Venters is not the type of character that would stand out. Short, small, and a little coy, he manages to find himself in a romantic relationship with Jane. However, the other men in the town hate this relationship and make Bern's life miserable, banishing him to an existence of solitude. After narrowly escaping is pursuers, he escapes and falls in love with an outlaw named Bess. Bern proves himself to be a man that at the end of the day, is brave, and also seems extremely intelligent, after learning of the corruption and evil of the Mormon church.
Elizabeth "Bess" Erne
Bess is an infamous outlaw feared across the land who always travel with a mask draped across her face. Actually a woman, Bess has managed to create a pretense of being a man, allowing her to roam the range and strike fear into passerby's hearts. Fearless, strong, and smart, Bess is injured and ends up falling in love with the person who shot her, Bern Venters. It turns out that Bess is actually the long lost child of Milly Erne, making her Lassiter's niece. Although Bess exudes the outward experience of a criminal, she is really a soft and caring person who did what it took to survive.
Mormon Elders
A corrupt group of men that are at the top of the Mormon Church's hierarchy. Extremely unpleasant and egotistical, they despise anyone who thinks or acts differently. They are the central antagonists in the novel. They also allow rustlers to stay in the nearby ranges of southwest Utah and steal cattle from wealthier Mormons nearby in return for doing what the elders say and attacking or suppressing any rebellious people who disagree with the elders.
Oldring's Rustlers
These men are rough-and-tumble cattle thieves who have expertly adapted to this way of life. The Mormon Elders allow them to stay in and around Cottonwoods, where they steal cattle from residents and often move northward to sell them on the open market. Oldring's Rustlers are crafty and adaptable, pretending they live off of gold panning from the streams. These rustlers can sometimes be seen as a branch of the elders in terms of what they add to the plot stylistically and highlight a stereotypical problem of the West due to a lack of centralized government and law enforcement.
Ancient People
Briefly mentioned near the end of the novel, these "Ancient People" were most likely Native Americans who originally inhabited this region of Utah. They were the ones who used to live in Surprise Valley and placed the enormous balancing rock near the entrance to close it off in case of an enemy attack. Jane and Lassiter stay here at the end of the novel.
Hester Brandt
Hester is a female servant of Jane Withersteen's and works on the Withersteen mansion. She has known Jane for many years but betrays her and spies on Jane for the Mormon elders. Jane catches Hester spying behind a door and tells her to leave the estate forever. Hester is married to Collier Brandt.
Collier Brandt
Collier Brandt was married to Hester Brandt along with three other women, which was normal for the polygamous Mormons of the time. He yells at Lassiter that there are gods waiting for him because Lassiter has not followed any specific religion and has sinned. He plays an overall minor role.
Matthew Blake
Matthew Blake is a Mormon man and a long time resident of Cottonwoods. Although he follows his church and faith devoutly, he doesn't hold the same prejudice as other Mormons against people who have a different religion. He talks to Lassiter at the beginning of the novel and helps him out a bit, giving directions and water for his horse.
Dorn
Dorn is a character extremely similar to Matthew Blake and could potentially be seen as a character foil for him. Dorn is also a Mormon man and is even more respectful of the Mormon elders and church than Blake is, but he holds nothing against people of a different faith, often taking a neutral stance. He talks with Lassiter as well but the two men are stiff and polite to each other, and Dorn offers no help. Overall, Dorn plays a less than significant role in the novel.
