Donald Keene
Donald is the story's protagonist, an architect by profession who participates in constructing the underground silos in Atlanta and other parts of the United States of America. Donald is an intelligent young man who has just joined the Congress in Washington with great prospects. Donald is a loving and dedicated husband to Helen and his son. However, the unfolding events separate Donald and his family forever.
Donald supervises the construction of the silos, whose purpose is unclear to him. According to Senator Thurman, who gives him the job, the silos are meant to store used nuclear fuel. However, Donald finds himself making an important decision in silo number one concerning the populations of the other 48 underground silos. The initiators of the silos are manipulators who use Donald and other workers to achieve their selfish goals. Donald is angry after he discovers the true purpose of the silos. Unfortunately, Donald's wife and son died decades ago in a different silo.
Helen
Helen is Donald's wife. Helen is a loving and caring woman ready to support her husband in whatever he does. When Helen learns that Donald will be in charge of constructing silos, one of the largest projects in the US, Helen encourages her husband to take the offer for the country's greater good. Once the construction of the silo is completed, Helen and Donald attend a conference in one of the silos, but there is an abrupt bomb explosion. Donald and Helen end up in different silos. Helen is in silo 18, where all the occupants die after Troy says it is necessary to get rid of the silo.
Troy
Troy is one of the main workers in Silo 1. However, Troy works in shifts of six months and goes to sleep for decades before he is recalled to work. Troy is an intelligent man who solves complex problems that affect the silos. When a complication in silo 18 occurs, Troy is resurrected from his cryonic slumber. Troy also monitors the other 49 silos.
Senator Thurman
Senator Thurman is Anna's father. Thurman is a highly respected man in society. However, Thurman is a highly secretive man because he is involved in the operations of silos that manipulate the human population. When Thurman tells Donald to participate in the construction of the silos, he lies that their purpose is storing used nuclear fuel.
Anna
Anna is the daughter of Senator Thurman and Donald's ex-girlfriend. Anna is a manipulative person, and she is madly in love with Donald. Even after breaking up with Donald, Anna continues scheming to get close to him. Anna influences her father to recruit Donald as the lead architect in constructing the additional silos to get close to him. After that, Ann orchestrates a bomb explosion that separates Donald from his wife. Donald enters silo 1, and Held ends up in silo 18. Ann manipulates Troy to order the killing of all occupants of silo 18, where Helen is. Anna does all this to be close to Donald.
