Dale "Barbie" Barbara
Barbie is a former Army Lieutenant who became a drifter after leaving the Army. He is one of twenty six survivors of the Dome thanks in large part to the Army training and skills he possesses and partially because of his ability to lead. He is not a person who thrives on confrontation and was in fact in the process of fleeing town when the Dome came down. His basic straightforwardness make him a trusted authority figure but also make him a target for Big Jim and his cohorts.
James "Big Jim" Rennie
Big Jim is the owner of two businesses that are the best in their field; he presides over Chester's Mill's principle used car dealerships and also owns the biggest crystal meth lab on the East Coast. He is a power-obsessed ego-maniac and is the second selectman of Chester's Mill. Almost everyone in town owes him a favor and he is always ready to collect. He is personally responsible for the murders of three people and indirectly responsible of many more deaths resulting from his actions. He is presumed dead from heart failure in the town's emergency shelter.
James "Junior" Rennie
He is a thug and the son of Big Jim Rennie. He gradually devolves from a violent yet relatively harmless small-town thug into an angry, bitter sociopath. He hates Dale Barbera primarily because he stands up to his bullying. Junior murders two women, Angie McCain and Dodee Sanders, subsequently molesting both of the corpses and referring to them as his "girlfriends". As the novel progresses he becomes more and more delusional. He later murders three Deputies by shooting them, prompting Jackie Wettington to kill him.
Julia Shumway
Julia owns a publication called The Democrat although she herself is actually a Republican. She is a cynical woman whose passion is exposing those around her and by nature is bold and gutsy. She and Dale Barbara are newly-involved and she is his conduit to the outside world. Initially viewed in school as a goody-two-shoes, a fourth-grade confrontation caused her image to be overhauled and it is this confrontation that is the key in enabling her to formulate the plan that ends the siege. Julia is one of the twenty-six survivors of the Dome.
Eric "Rusty" Everett
Everett is a physician assistant at Cathy Russell Hospital. He is kind-hearted, thoughtful and able to remain calm in a crisis. He is the father of two young daughters and his wife, Linda, is a police officer. Rusty tends to those who are injured in the chaos of the Dome, maintaining an optimistic and reassuring attitude. He survives the Dome.
Joseph "Scarecrow Joe" McClatchey
Joe is a thirteen year old student at Chester's Mill Middle School. He is a dedicated skateboarder who has maturity and intelligence that make him wise beyond his years. He is the first in town to seek answers for the cause of the Dome's appearance rather than trying to establish an "order" within it. He is a trusted ally of Dake Barbara and is one of the survivors of the Dome.
